The Chronicles of Reed & Kirza
by CaptainStarlord
Summary: A series of non-chronological one-shots following the lives of Naomi Reed and Doctor Rila Kirza during their service on the USS Enterprise. Expect tales of adventure, romance, comedy, drama and heartbreak. Contains Jim/Naomi and Bones/Rila.
1. Arriving on the Enterprise

_Hey everyone. New series of one-shots here following the lives of my own character, Naomi Reed and that of my friend's character, Rila Kirza. Each one-shot will be a separate chapter (unless one is split into multiple chapters) and none of them (unless specified) will follow each other chronological as I will be showcasing them at different points in their lives. All one-shots however are set after the events of Into Darkness. _

_Here's my first one, which is Naomi's arrival on the Enterprise. Enjoy! And all reviews are welcome- positive or negative, just be polite about it! Thanks :) _

* * *

**Arriving on the Enterprise**

"How long till she wakes up?"

"She received a good blow to the head James, so like I told you yesterday she'll wake up when she's ready!"

"Alright, just let me know when she wakes up. I'd like to speak to her."

Naomi Reed felt her subconscious begin to groggily awaken. Her eyes were still glued together tight leaving her in uncertain darkness. She made out the conversation but she didn't recognise the voices. Where was she? She flicked back to her file of memories, as she tried to put the pieces together.

She had landed on a baron planet with her sister-in-arms and android, Artemis. They hadn't had to worry about any hassle from any natives. No settlements were present here due to the unpredictable seismic activity. Their mission was simple. Enter the caves, retrieve an artefact then get out and exchange it for their payment. But things hadn't gone so smoothly.

Seismic activity in the caves had started up sooner than anticipated. Artemis had insisted that they leave immediately, any one of the rumblings could cause the cave to collapsed in on them. However Naomi, being her stubborn self, had refused. She had argued that they were already so close to getting the artefact that they couldn't turn back now. So they pressed on despite Artemis' protests. Naomi was determined, Artemis always had to give her that. The rumblings continued but Naomi still refused to leave as they got closer and closer to the artefact. This was the last object she needed, then she could claim her money and be gone on her way home to her mother. That very thought pushed her on as she felt her body tense and scream in silent fear every time a rumble echoed through the cave.

They had been so close.

The next rumble echoed through the cave and Naomi had no chance to move. The last thing she remembered was the ceiling falling down on her and Artemis crying out "Ms Naomi!"...

'I'm guessing that android of hers didn't give you anything?'

Naomi felt her body tense as her stomach knotted in fear. They had Artemis? It was becoming clear to her now that there was a stronger possibility that the two of them had been captured. They must have found her unconscious body and Artemis in the caves, taking them on board... whoever 'they' were.

"Not much, she just simply stated they were exploring the planet and her deep concern for her friend."

Naomi kept her eyes shut tight as she listened. She felt herself inwardly smile slightly, Artemis hadn't told them everything... good, that was very good. But she noticed the doubt in the man's voice (she presumed by 'his' tone of voice), Artemis may have lied but she wasn't very good at it and he had picked up on it.

"You don't believe her?" That was defiantly another man's voice that answered.

"No... I thought that maybe our 'guest' here might be able to clarify the details."

"Well it is known for criminals to drift on the Federation borders out here..." Naomi noticed the thick british accent in the woman's voice that added to the conversation. She heard it before when she had addressed one of the men as 'James'.

"What you think she's a criminal?"

"I'm just suggesting a possibility, it's something we should at least consider..."

Naomi gulped, she was in really trouble now. These weren't other criminals who had beef with her, but a crew of a Federation starship. If they learned the truth of herself and Artemis, they would never be able to return home and Naomi would fail her mother. She couldn't let that happen!

Waiting patiently, Naomi quickly and impulsively planned her next move. She cracked her eyes open ever so slightly to get her bearings. The room was bright and caused her to have to slip into the safety of the darkness a few times before her eyes adjusted. She spotted the group of three stood a little away from her, she didn't focus on them long and only caught glimpses of gold and blue. Her gaze turned to her right side, where something shiny and sharp caught her eye.

Perfect!

She then waited once more, closing her eyes as one of the three began to approach her.

Doctor Leonard McCoy stood with his arms folded as he listened to his friends discuss their new guest. Captain James T Kirk was adamant to give their guest a chance to explain herself when she awoke, even if they was a possibility she maybe a criminal. That didn't surprise McCoy in the slightest. Kirk had been the one to rush her to the medical bay after they picked her up along with her android, who had sent out a distress signal to the Enterprise. He clearly taken a immediate fondness for her. After all she was a pretty girl who needed help, how could Kirk refuse?

Doctor Rila Kirza, one of his best medical staff members that he would gladly pass on the Chief Medical Officer title onto if the occasion ever rose, wasn't so kind. She had observed their new arrival with uncertainty, after all this woman was a stranger to her. A stranger she didn't particularly trust. She had assisted McCoy in treating her as instructed, after all a Doctor couldn't refuse a patient. But there was something about their guest that caused her to gaze at her with cold blue eyes.

McCoy mumbled something about checking their guest's vitals, before he left Kirza and Kirk to continue their discussion that was becoming more and more heated.

He approached their 'guest', who was still soundlessly unconscious. In the few days she had been on the ship, he hadn't even learnt her name. Even her android had chosen to remain anonymous. There had been something in that android eyes that had told him that she didn't trust him. She had even remained as himself and Kirza had worked on treating her injuries. Almost like she thought they were going to try something, that they weren't going to save her friend. McCoy had to admit that hurt a little. Whether this girl was a criminal or not, he wouldn't have let her die and even though she'd never admit it, Kirza wouldn't have either.

He shook his head, shaking off the thoughts as he pulled out his scanner to check her vitals. He frowned, that was odd... why was her heart rate beginning to increase? Before he had chance to respond a fist collided with his nose. He staggered back and swore as he clutched his nose. Before he had chance to recover he felt an arm loop around his shoulder and something sharp brush against his throat.

Kirk and Kirza turned abruptly to the sound of McCoy in pain, Kirza's long locks of brown hair swishing round like a curtain caught in the wind. Their guest was a awake and angry. Her short brown hair was plastered to her head with dried blood and sweat. Her dark eyes were locked with their shocked gazes. She held McCoy firmly by the shoulder with one hand, in her other hand was a small scalp that she held alarming close to his throat.

Kirk raised his hands up, showing her he wasn't hiding anything as he tried his luck approaching her slowly.

She snapped immediately at that, "Don't come any closer or i'll gut him like a fish!"

"Okay, okay," Kirk stopped where he was, hands still raised in front of him, "Let's just calm down."

"I'll calm down when I get some answers!" she retorted.

"I told you she was a criminal..." Kirza murmured under her breath.

Kirk shot her a look as if to say 'Really? Now?'

"Firstly, where they hell am I?" their guest demanded.

"You're in the Medbay on board the USS Enterprise," Kirk answered her, "I brought you on board after your android sent out a distress signal from the planet you were visiting. Doctor Kirza here and Doctor McCoy, who you're currently using as a hostage, fixed you up when you arrived and have been keeping an eye on you ever since."

Some of her anger seemed to disappear after Kirk told her that, good at least she was grateful.

"But Artemis...where is she? What did you do with her?"she still held a firm grip on McCoy but the knife had dropped slightly from his throat.

"We didn't do anything with her, we just simply provided her with some guest quarters to stay in and recharge while you recovered," Kirk replied.

Naomi felt herself gazing into this unfamiliar man's eyes and trusting him entirely. She couldn't explain it but somehow he'd managed to rip her walls down and make her trust him. She felt her stomach drop in guilt. Here she was threatening the very people who had saved her life.

Still she couldn't be too careful, "Are telling me the truth? Is Artemis truly safe?"

"You have my word that she is safe," the man answered as he smiled slightly at her.

Naomi felt all her anger disappear as she dropped the scalp, it clattered to the floor. McCoy took his chance and slipped out of her loosened grip to stand next to the man.

"You alright?" the man asked him.

"Yeah fine.." McCoy mumbled as he held his nose and gazed at Naomi with uncertainty and alarm.

Naomi gazed at the men in front of her, unsure what to say to them. That's when she felt a sharp pain in her neck.

"Ahh," she gripped her neck and turned to see a blurred image of Doctor Kirza, a sedative gripped tightly in her grasp.

"What..." Naomi trailed off as her world spun before she hit the floor, falling into darkness again.

"Rila! What the hell?" Kirk exclaimed as he walked over to the girl lifting her up and settling her down back into her bed, "Was that really necessary?"

"Of course, it was necessary. She turned violent on medical staff," she gazed at McCoy who was still clutching his bleeding nose.

"I'd just talked her down, there was no need," Kirk shot her a small glare.

"Glare at me all you want James, it won't change anything. She became a danger, so i took a precaution. Now if you don't mind I think I better attend to Doctor McCoy." With that Doctor Rila Kirza strode away to McCoy to treat his bleeding nose.

Kirk shook his head at her as she walked away. He sighed as he gazed down at their unconscious guest, who was once again sleeping soundlessly. Who was this girl?


	2. Same Ship, Different Day

_Hey everyone, here is my second one-shot with my OC Naomi Reed and that of my friend's, Rila Kirza. I've tried my best with this one but I'll apologise if it seems a bit rushed and the grammar's off as I wrote this at a late hour. _

_This one-shot is a typical day on the Enterprise with Naomi Reed up to her usual experimental inventions in her lab, and takes places some significant time after the previous one-shot as both Jim/Naomi and Bones/Rila are established as couples at this point. Enjoy! And feel free to review, I accept positive and constructive comments, just be polite about it! Thanks :) _

**Same Ship, Different Day**

The light of the small welder sparked off the darkness of her goggles as Naomi Reed furrowed her brow in intense concentration. Her tongue stuck out slightly that if a certain Jim Kirk was present he would have teased her about.

When she was satisfied that the components would hold, she set the small welder down and slipped off her goggles. She smiled down happily at her work. She'd be drawing up plans the very day before to add a slightly hostile feature to terminal panels, almost like a physical firewall that would send out a small electric shock to those attempting to hack into a panel. Naomi had to admit the project wouldn't be easy; after all she had to make sure the level of electricity was high enough to cause a small electric shock but not too strong that it would damage the panel itself.

Her finger tips danced over the Data Pad that was linked up to the makeshift panel she had created for the initial tests. Once she had finished entering the sequence ready to go, she opened up a new video log on her bench terminal.

"Test One of Project marked Shock, proceeding with test in 3…" Naomi began her recording before beginning a countdown to the test, "2… 1!"

Naomi pressed down on the Data Pad as the fake hack began on the make shift panel. The panel spark ever so slightly before hissing out.

Naomi furrowed her brow, was that it? She stepped closer to the bench peering down at the makeshift panel.

"Well that was a failure of an attempt…." she mumbled before beginning to turn away. That's when something caught her eye.

Naomi stared down at the makeshift panel as it began to spark at just the exact intensity Naomi had been aiming for. The grin had already begun spreading on her face, "Naomi Reed, you are officially a genius."

She had spoken too soon. The panel suddenly leapt into a buddle of concerning large sparks before the panel itself broke apart in an explosive fashion. Naomi felt herself thrown backward hitting the wall behind her as her lab became clouded in smoke.

Rila Kirza flicked a strand of hair out of her face as she reviewed the finished reports sat in front of her. She had to admit, it had been a quiet few days and she was actually enjoying not being rushed off her feet due to Kirk's latest landing party exploits. She had relished in all the spare time she had, it gave her chance to conduct a few chemical experiments. But somehow she felt a little well… bored. She had all this free time on her hands and despite trying to fill it with as many activities as she possibly could, she still felt a little unenthusiastic. At least when Leonard was there she could pass the time with some pleasant conversation. However due to 'Jim going stir crazy cause he's got no dashing adventure to go off on' (as Leonard put it), Rila had often not had the chance to enjoy her fellow Doctor's company as the young captain often called him up to the bridge.

'_Damn it James…. You could call Reed or something if you're that bored! Quit stealing the handsome man…' _Rila thought grumpily as she folded her arms across her chest.

Rila gazed down at the reports, reading over them for about the tenth (or was it eleventh?) time. She was then taken by surprise as she felt her desk rattled violently for a few moments then it stopped. Rila froze, were they under attack? Then she looked at her terminal that was blinking an orange colour. She sighed heavily, Jim wasn't the only one who seemed to have the knack for rushing Rila off her feet. Pulling herself up off her seat Rila marched over to the cupboards pulling out a medical kit before she left the confides of the Med bay. She sped along the corridor, slowing down only when she spotted the familiar arched brow of her handsome Doctor.

"What the damn hell was that rattle?" Leonard McCoy questioned Rila, clearly sensing her walk of purpose.

Rila sighed, "Take a wild guess Leonard."

Leonard paused for moment pulling a confused expression then it clicked, "Reed."

Rila nodded.

Leonard rolled his eyes, "I swear the girl's gonna blow up the whole damn ship someday!"

Rila smirked slightly at that before she straight herself, "Right I better go check on her…."

"Right…" Leonard replied as he gazed down at her. Its times when he was stood directly beside her that he had to genuinely remember how short and small she really was. Honestly, he found it adorable. He hoped to have spent more time with her during the free-time they both had but no. Captain James Tiberius Kirk had to pull away him away because (very much like a child) he couldn't contain his sheer boredom. He had to admit he been tempted to slip him a sedative so the crew could gain a break from the bored captain, who seemed to badger everyone around him just to have something to do.

Rila let a small smile pass onto her lips as she nodded at him before continuing down the corridor.

"Er Rila?"

Rila turned back to him as he called after her, "Yes?"

"Seen as we both get off our shifts at the same time later, how about dinner?"

Rila felt a large grin spread across her face, "I'd like that very much Leonard."

Even Leonard smiled at that, "Good. Just try not to let Reed hold you up too long."

Rila nodded at that before she turned and continued walking.

Rila knocked on the door of Naomi's lab. Despite the girl insisting that Rila didn't have to be so formal, unless the door was locked, she still felt it necessary.

"Reed, it's me," Rila waited for a response. Not hearing a response Rila opened the door and was met with a cloud of smoke. Coughing, she waved her hand in front of her face as she entered.

"Reed?" Rila called out again as she eventually heard the ventilation systems kicking in as the smoke began to clear. She covered her mouth waiting for the smoke to clear. It was when it had finished clearing she noticed her friend.

Naomi Reed was slumped down on the wall opposite the work bench, her head was tilting downwards and her limbs were sprawled out in front of her. Rila glanced at the, still slightly smoking, work bench putting the pieces together.

"Oh Reed," Rila shook her head as she knelt down beside Naomi. Her eyes were closed and her face was covered in black soot.

"Reed, come on. Wake up," Rila gently prodded Naomi's face, the klutz had knocked herself out.

"Eugh," Naomi groaned in a half unconscious state as Rila continued to try to rouse her, "Get off…. I'm sleeping here Jim…"

"For starters I'm not James and you're not sleeping," Rila sassily replied to Naomi's dazed murmuring.

At that Naomi opened her wide, blinking a few times before looking up at Rila, "Rila. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Why did you-" Rila stopped as she got a better look at Naomi's face, her eyes opened wide.

"What?" Naomi looked at her confused then she began to look panicked, "What is it? Is there something wrong with my face?"

Rila pointed at her right cheek, "You got a little something…"

"A little what?" Naomi asked as she gently drifted her fingers over her own cheek.

"A bit higher," Rila urged her.

Naomi continued to drift her fingers around until they stopped on something bumpy and strangely metallic. Taking a hold of it Naomi yanked it from her cheek before Rila could protest.

She then felt the warm, hot, sticky blood begin to pour down her cheek and grimaced.

Rila furrowed her brow in annoyance, "Well done Reed, you've just made the problem worse."

Naomi shrugged her shoulders and smiled slightly, "Woops?"

Rila shook her head and mumbled very much in McCoy fashion, "Unbelievable."

Naomi fell silent as Rila opened up the small medical kit in her hand and set to work.

Naomi couldn't help but gently poke the stitches in her cheek. If Rila was present she probably would have smacked her hand away and muttered at her angrily. Rila had been best pleased when she left Naomi's lab, although sometimes Naomi found it hard to tell when she actually she was pleased with her. Granted Naomi had a knack for well… getting in a few accidents. More than often Rila Kirza was the one to patch her up.

Naomi continued to gently poke at her cheek, the numbness was still present from Rila's treatment so she couldn't quite feel the pokes. Her fingers bumped over the stitches as she continued to walk down the corridor. She was preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't look properly where she was going that she came to a sudden painful stop.

"Ouch," Jim Kirk grumbled as he bumped into her, true be told he had been pre-occupied with his own thoughts to notice her.

"Oh," Naomi gasped slightly as she gazed up at Jim, "Sorry Jim, I was a little distracted…."

"I noticed," Jim smirked then he gazed at her cheek slightly concerned, "What the hell happened to you?"

"Long story…. which I could tell if you fancy grabbing some dinner?" Naomi ended with a wink up at the Captain.

Jim smirked widely as he placed a hand to his stomach, "Well now that you mention it…"

Naomi giggled, "So is it a date then?"

Jim chuckled, "Possibly."

"Good," Naomi cried happily as she linked her arm with his, before the two of them headed off down the corridor together.


	3. First Away Mission Part 1

_Hi guys. Thanks for the favourites/follows so far, means a lot! Sorry this has taken some time, but rest assured I'm sure it was worth the wait. I was originally going to do this as one one-shot but then it began to get quite long so I thought it best to split it into two parts. (You may hate me for the way I've split it ;) )_

_This one-shot takes place not long after Naomi's is given a place on board the Enterprise as an inventor. This one in particular will be Naomi's first official away mission with the crew of the Enterprise. Set some time before Jim/Naomi and Bones/Rila become established/confirmed couples. Also there might be a little more focus on Naomi rather than Rila in these two chapters (tried to keep it as even as I could). _

_Oh word of warning, there's going to be some injuries and a bit of bloody violence in this and the next one. You have been warned! _

_Enjoy! And Part 2 should be finished shortly! _

**First Away Mission Part 1**

To say that Naomi Reed felt nervous was a bit of an understatement. Her stomach was doing backflips as she shuffled around, gently tugging at the straps pulling her into the seat. She was seated in the back of a Starfleet standard issue shuttle in what would be her first away mission with the crew. She had been roped into the mission by the Captain himself much to Naomi's surprise. She had been a little uneasy around most the crew. A few had tried helping her settle into life aboard the ship (namely Uhura) but there was still that initial unease. Naomi didn't really blame them. She was still a stranger to them, a stranger with a criminal history.

So when Kirk had approached Naomi with this offer to contribute to something important, she had to admit she was shocked and flattered. Kirk had treated her with kindness since her arrival; he had been the one who had helped clear things with Starfleet so she wouldn't be tossed into jail like every other criminal. Instead she was allowed to remain aboard the Enterprise as long as she complied with Starfleet and sent all of her latest inventions to them for creation. Naomi may have been a little uneasy about sharing said inventions with Starfleet; she wasn't entirely sure what they would do with them (after all she had heard how Scotty's transwarp beaming equation had fallen into Khan's hands). Nevertheless Naomi had agreed and began shaping a place for herself among the Enterprise's crew.

Naomi took a quiet deep breath. This was her chance to prove herself to her crewmates. A chance to prove to them that they could trust and rely upon her. Forcing fierce determination into her gaze, Naomi straightened herself in her seat. Granted the mission wasn't anything grand and daring like some of Naomi's previous thieving exploits, but she was determined to give it her all.

Their mission was quite simple, or so Naomi was led to believe. A ship had hailed the Enterprise requesting immediate assistance, especially in terms of both engineering and medical assistance. According to the man who had hailed them, their ship had crash landed on the baron planet below. They didn't have the necessary materials or staff to repair their ship and treat their injured. Naomi couldn't help but feel a little sceptical. There was a possibility that this was some kind of trap, luring them to the planet below to be ambushed. She hadn't been the only one, so it wasn't much of a surprise that their away team included two of the meanest and toughest looking security officers Naomi had ever set her eyes upon. They reminded her of some bouncers of Earth night clubs. As well as that, everyone on the away team was each equipped with a Starfleet standard issue phaser. It may not have been the first gun she had handled but she still needed a quick instruction from Kirk as to how to fire one. He had happily shown her but reassured her that she wouldn't need to fire it. If only Naomi felt so confident.

Kirk seemed more certain that the distressed crew man had been telling them the truth. This firm belief was reflected in the other crew members he had selected for the away mission. Both Dr McCoy (much to his dismay) and Dr Kirza had been picked from the medical staff. Naomi wasn't surprised. They were highly skilled doctors and two of Kirk's closest friends. She often had to smirk when McCoy recounted some of the various exploits that Kirk had dragged him along on. She herself had attempted to befriend the doctors; after all very much like the Captain, Naomi found herself in the Med-bay on more than a few occasions. What could she say, she was a bit of a klutz even she admitted that. Despite accepting that she'd be seeing the Doctors on more than one occasion, Naomi had other reasons for wanting to befriend them. She still felt a pang of guilt after what she did when she first woke up on the Enterprise. It hadn't been her intention to alienate or harm them in any way. She had been afraid, mistrusting like she always had been around new people. She partly hated herself for it. Although given how many times she had placed her trust in the wrong people, could she really be to blame? Naomi seemed to think so. She was determined to make amends for her past violent threat to McCoy by sheer kindness and attempts at befriending both him and Kirza (after all she hadn't been exactly pleased with Naomi's violent outburst on the man). So far it was working well, she felt like she was making progress at least. McCoy didn't watch her like an eagle when she was in the same room any more. He was still wary of her that much was clear, but at least now the two of them could exchange in civil conversation. Kirza on the other hand still watched her with a cold, stern stare. Naomi was still working on cracking her. There was something about Kirza in particular that Naomi felt drawn to. Honestly, she liked the Doctor. She was sarcastic with a hint of realism and Naomi found herself generally smiling when she responded none too angrily to Kirk's attempts to wind up her. Naomi was determined to make a life-long friend out of her, maybe even a best friend. Either way she was sure this was a start of a beautiful friendship (if you wanted to put it poetically).

As well as the Doctors Kirk had brought along ship engineer Scotty (Naomi had taken to using the nickname everyone gave the Scotsman), Ship's Pilot Sulu and of course the infamous Commander Spock. Naomi had mainly been roped in to aid the Scotsman engineer. After all, despite her 'exploding' nature with inventions Naomi was highly skilled in Engineering, even Scotty had admitted that. She had clearly noticed that she had a firm friend in the Scotsman. On more than a few occasions Naomi had nipped to Engineering in search of her beloved android Artemis. She'd find Artemis often drifting after the Engineer and his dear little friend Keenser. It had instantly sparked conversations between them and mainly where Scotty became aware of Naomi's interest and skills in Engineering. The two were beginning to become friends. They got along well, more so when Naomi brought down his favourite sandwiches for lunch. She enjoyed his company and was honoured when she had been asked by him to assist the other engineers with certain ship criticises. It was nice to know he had that level of trust with her.

With regards to her other crew mates, Naomi was a still a like uncertain. Sulu had treated her with a kindness and she had no reason to suspect that they wouldn't eventually become friends. She had remembered one of her first lunch times in the cafeteria of the ship. She had collected her lunch and was unsure where to sit. The past few times Kirk had been there and she had simply joined him. But this one time was different. She felt exposed, like the new pupil at a school. Sulu had been the one to call her over, at least that first time. She had joined him, thankful to avoid the option of sitting alone. There she had been included in the conversation between himself, Chekov and Uhura. In that moment she felt a little more accepted on the ship, rather than viewed as the suspicious outsider.

Commander Spock on the other hand, well Naomi couldn't really say much. She had spoken to him a few times and seen him around, but otherwise she couldn't really say she truly knew the Commander. Naomi wondered if it was due to his often emotional-less shaped features that Naomi really couldn't get a read on him. She neither knew whether the Commander approved or disapproved of her place on board the ship. Maybe it was due to the care his Captain showed to the girl that he chose to not showcase any disagreement on Naomi's new found place on the Enterprise. Either way, Naomi couldn't really say she knew the Commander much at all. She hoped in time that would change.

Naomi was determined to turn her life around. She wanted this crew to trust her. But most of all, she wanted a family again.

"Earth to Reed," Rila Kirza cried out in slight annoyance as she waved her hand in front of Naomi's face.

Naomi was instantly brought out of her thoughts as she blinked startled slightly. She then turned to look at Rila.

"The shuttle's landed Reed, time to get off," Rila informed as she stood up from her seat beside Naomi. The rest of the away team were already making their way out the door, leaving Naomi and Rila lagging behind.

"Right," Naomi mumbled as she began to fumble with the straps keeping her in her seat. She could have sworn that hadn't been this hard to get on.

Rila furrowed her brow as she bent down beside her. "Here," she said as she unclipped Naomi straps so Naomi could throw them off easily.

"Thanks," Naomi replied blushing in slight embarrass at how easily Rila had undone her straps.

Rila stood up and gazed at Naomi frowning, even she was surprised by the question that escaped her lips, "Are you alright? You didn't say a single word on the flight down."

Naomi looked up at Rila also taken a back a bit by the question; she then shrugged "Just a little nervous I guess."

"Nervous? I thought you were used to dodgy scenarios and potential back stabbing drifters," Rila smirked slightly at her, amusement in her gaze.

Naomi felt herself smirk at that, "True but everyone still gets nervous right?"

Rila shrugged, her small smirk disappearing as she headed for the door after the others. She turned back to Naomi, "For the record everyone's nervous when they're stuck on an away mission with James."

With that, Rila disappeared leaving Naomi alone in the shuttle. Naomi felt herself smile slightly. It seemed she was finally making some kind of progress with the friendship she planned on building with Rila. Finding some new found confidence Naomi stood up and exited the shuttle.

Her feet skidded in the mud as Rila struggled to stay upright. The ground on the grassy hill bank (or mud pile as Naomi called it) was wet which made it ten times more slippery. She gritted her teeth as she continued her way up the steep hill. It was times like this that her short frame really didn't give her an advantage. Why oh why did the distressed ship have to be on top of this enormous hill? Okay maybe enormous was a bit of an exaggeration, but due to Rila's frustration at the slippery death trap it felt that way to her.

Naomi plodded along up the hill with only a few minor difficulties. While she was still lagging at the back with McCoy, Naomi was still making good progress. For once she was actually taking the advice from the Doctor to slow down and be careful. Kirk on the other hand, well he didn't really pay much attention as he continued on ahead at an impressive speed, Spock trailing not far behind at a more reserved pace.

Naomi let out a loud huff as she heaved herself up the next section of hill, stopping for a moment to catch her breath. Even she had to admit this hill was damn steep, and with the added mud problem was becoming a challenge to climb.

"You running out of steam there kid?" McCoy asked her as he pulled himself up beside her.

Naomi turned eyeing the doctor who was panting heavily himself. She smirked, "Are you?"

McCoy chuckled slightly and was about to reply when they heard a small yelp directly behind them. The two of them turned simultaneously to spot Rila who had failed to reach them and was about to slide dangerously all the way back down the steep hill bank. Before Rila could fall flat on her face both McCoy and Naomi reached out for her. They both successfully grabbed an arm each and pulled her up into a standing position between the two of them.

"Careful there Kirza," Naomi assured as she gently let go of Rila's arm.

McCoy furrowed his brow in worry, "Are you alright sweetheart?"

"Fine," Rila mumbled as she took her arm back from him and wiped her muddy knees.

McCoy arched an eyebrow recognising the all too familiar annoyance in her gaze, "You sure about that?"

Rila paused and let out a small sigh, "Its times like this I really hate being short."

McCoy and Naomi both had to suppress their smirks at that.

"Maybe we should stick together, help each other out on the climb," Naomi suggested as she gazed at the two of them, "Better than risking a slip to our deaths right?"

"For once that was a smart suggestion," Rila replied with amusement in her eyes.

"Hey!" Naomi tried to sound hurt, "I give plenty of smart suggestions!"

Rila chuckled, "Well this is the first I've heard of it."

Naomi playfully glared at Rila about to open her mouth again.

"Hey!" Kirk turned to call down to them, stopping in his tracks for a moment, "You three going to join us up here or are you going to carry on chit-chatting?"

McCoy furrowed his brow as he yelled back, "We're coming! We're coming!"

Once Kirk had turned around and was carrying on ahead again McCoy lowered his voice so only Naomi and Rila could hear him, "Impatient little pain in my ass."

Naomi and Rila chuckled under their breath before the three of them continued on their climb up the hill. They made sure to help each other out with support so no one slipped back down the muddy hill bank.

After what felt like expedition time the entire away team had arrived at the top of the hill bank. Naomi could feel the sense of relief radiating from everyone that they had all made it up the muddy death trap. Naomi caught her breath before gazing over at their intended destination.

The distressed crew member hadn't been kidding; there really was a crashed ship down here. The ship was no Enterprise but was still roughly the same size as the entire shuttle bay. There appeared to be no sign of life on board. All the lights were out, any typical sounds of a working engine were not present, and the entire ship cast an eerie silence.

"It would appear that they are indeed in need of assistance," Spock stated, breaking the cold silence.

"It certainly looks that way but we should still be on alert. We don't know what we'll find in there," Kirk added as he reached for his belt pulling out his phaser.

The away team nodded in response as they followed behind Kirk who had begun to approach the ship.

Naomi glanced around at the Doctors before she picked up her pace slightly to match in step beside Kirk. She didn't exactly feel comfortable raising her voice above normal level in the eerie silent atmosphere. "Did that guy say where we should meet him? I mean we can't exactly just stroll aboard the ship without an invitation," Naomi asked Kirk.

"Not exactly, he seemed a little rushed to lay out the specifics," Kirk replied as he came to halt. The away team stopped behind him. He turned back to the team, "Spock, Connell you're with me. Let's see if we can find this guy. Rest of you stay here, call us back if he shows."

"Yes Captain," Connell, the slimmer one of the two burly security officers, replied as he followed after his commanding officers.

The others were left standing there as they waited for the three to return.

"I don't like this," McCoy stated breaking the quiet.

"I don't think you're the only one," Rila added as she gazed at the uneasy amongst her crew mates.

"Surely he would have meet us out here, he certainly sounded desperate and impatience over the com link," Sulu said as he furrowed his brow.

Scotty pulled a puzzled expression as he gazed up at the ship, "That's not the only thing that's fishy here Mr Sulu."

Rila frowned, "How so Mr Scott?"

"Well until I get a look inside her, there's no clear sign indicating why she's like this. Aside from a few scratches on the hull she doesn't look particularly damaged from here," Scotty replied.

"So the ship didn't crash land here?" Sully, the other accompanying security officer, asked.

Scotty shook his head.

"So our caller lied," McCoy spoke the truth they were all thinking.

Naomi had begun not to pay much attention to her crew mates' discussion, their revelations had sent her nerves rattling through her body. Still she had moved away from them and began to walk closer to the ship side they were waiting beside. She slowly began walking down the length of the side, her eyes scanning over the scratches. It was odd, they all seemed to come in sets of threes. Naomi furrowed her brow as she walked down the side of the ship, her crew mates' voices beginning to fade into the distance. The ship curved in on itself causing Naomi to disappear from sight. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, "What the hell…"

She turned to face the reason for her sudden halt. A portion of the exterior had been ripped aside, leaving a gaping hole leading into the dark depths of the inside of the ship. But there was something off about how the damage had been caused. Considering the other minor damage to the exterior Naomi had examined, that was nothing to suggest that the ship had violently crash landed. There was only one logically option. The gaping hole had been caused after the ship had 'crashed'. Naomi shivered she didn't like this, she didn't like this one bit. She was about to turn and head back to her crew mates to reveal her discovery, when something caught her eye. Raising an eyebrow she turned back to the hole. Gripping the phaser in her belt tightly, Naomi began to make her way cautiously towards the gaping entrance. When she was close enough she opened her mouth to speak a feeble, "Hello?"

No answer. Naomi stepped closer, almost stood in the entrance the hole had created. Before she had chance to speak again a shadow came crashing towards her. She had no time to draw her phaser, instead she let out a high scream as the shadow crashed into her.

"Hello!" Kirk cried out irritably as he rasped his hand on a small entrance to the ship. It was a small hatch and was sealed tight. There was no indication of anyone trying to answer Kirk's cries any time soon.

"Captain that is your fifth attempt at raising attention to ourselves. If they did not hear you the first four times I doubt they will have heard you the fifth time," Spock stated simplistically. Kirk couldn't help but notice a hint of sarcasm in his First Officers tone.

Kirk furrowed his brow, "He's got to be here somewhere."

"Maybe we should try to find another entrance, sir?" Connell suggested, he was gripping his phaser in his hand tightly. He had been glancing around uneasily before he addressed his Captain.

Kirk nodded, "Sounds good to me. Lead the way Connell."

Connell gave Kirk a small acknowledgement, before he slowly began to take the lead. Kirk began to following after him.

Spock remained where he was as he addressed Kirk, "Captain I think you are forgetting that there is a high possibility that this might be a trap."

Kirk turned abruptly to face his First Officer. He opened his mouth to give back a sharp retort that he hadn't forgotten when something stopped him.

A high pitched scream reached his ears, chilling him to the bone.

Connell turned to Kirk, stammering out his words, "That was-"

Kirk felt the colour temporally fade from his face, "Reed."

Without a second thought Kirk took off sprinting in the direction of the scream. Spock and Connell exchanged glances before they took off after him.

Kirk could feel the butterflies fluttering around violently in his stomach as he sprinted to Naomi's location. He tried not to think about the potential scene he might stumble across. Instead he focussed on getting to her as quickly as possible.

He rounded the corner and skidded to a halt. He stopped in his tracks, eyes scanning the area for Naomi. He was suddenly alerted to her cries. She was lying on her back wreathing under the weight of a man. Each of her wrists was heavily grasped in the man's hands. The man didn't appear to be listening to her, actually he didn't appear to be moving at all.

"Get off me!" Naomi cried out in a mixture of anger and fear. She struggled to push him off her.

Kirk rushed over immediately with a "Hey!"

He took a hold of the man, beginning to pull him off Naomi. The man didn't fight against Kirk in away. He felt almost like a heavy puppet in Kirk's arms as he had to manually pry Naomi's wrists out his hands. When Naomi's hands were free Kirk pushed the man aside, causing him to land heavily on his back beside Naomi.

As soon as the weight had left her Naomi had pulled herself up into a sitting position and scrabbled away. Her body shaking uncontrollably as she watched the man with wide eyes.

"Are you-" Kirk began to question before his gaze fell on Naomi. His stomach dropped. Her face was spattered with blood, her shirt was also covered in patches of blood. Had this man done more damage to her than he realised?

"It's not her blood James, don't worry," the voice of Rila Kirza drifted behind him. He turned and looked around, how long had the rest of the away team been there?

He frowned confused before he turned back just as McCoy bent down beside the man. He still hadn't moved from where Kirk had pushed him down. It was when he gazed at the man properly that he understood why.

The man entire torso had been ripped into a bloody mess that even as he watched still oozed out blood. His skin was a deathly pale, his face frozen in horror. It came as no surprise when McCoy met his gaze and stated, "He's dead Jim."

The entire away team fell silent for a moment.

"What could inflict wounds like that?" Rila questioned to seemingly no one in particular as she walked over to McCoy.

"Hell if I know and I sure as hell don't plan to find out!" McCoy replied as he stood back up.

For once Kirk had to agree with McCoy, he certainly didn't fancy a face to face with the man's attacker. His gaze drifted over his team as they muttered to themselves and shot glances at the man. His gaze stopped when it fell on Naomi, who was still seated on the ground staring at the dead man.

He moved over to her and reached a hand down to her, "Here."

Naomi blinked a few times before she looked up at Kirk taking his hand, "Thanks."

He pulled her up beside him and gazed at her, the colour was starting to return her face but she still looked shaken.

"You okay?" he asked her placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, gazing into her eyes directly.

Naomi met his gaze, "Yeah… yeah I'm okay." She drifted her gaze away from his and breathed a long deep breath she didn't realise she been holding.

When she meet his gaze again, she looked more relaxed and a small smile was present on her face. "I guess I owe you a thank you."

"No problem, just as long as you're alright," he smiled at her warmly.

Naomi looked away again, feeling her cheeks flush. Why did he have to smile like that? He always made her blush when he smiled at her like that.

"Captain," Sulu's voice pulled Kirk's attention away from Naomi. He gazed up at Sulu with a quizzical expression. Sulu was stood beside the body of the man gazing down at him.

"Is it just me or does our man here look familiar?" Sulu asked looking up to meeting his Captain's gaze.

Kirk strode over to stand beside Sulu gazing down at the man more closely. He stood there for a moment then a sudden realisation dawned on him.

"I guess we found our man after all," Kirk spoke after a long pause.

Everyone froze.

"But wait, we only received that message a couple of hours ago sir. How could it possibly be him?" Connell asked, almost for his own reassurance.

"Quite simple really, whatever attacked his crew came back to finish the job," Rila stated matter-of-factly.

Everyone fell silent once more.

Naomi was the one to break it again, "Whatever it was, they certainly managed to get themselves on board with ease."

She raised a hand to the gaping hole behind them. The crew turned to look at the hole, just noticing it for the first time. It was becoming clearer now that those scratches of three she found on the exterior, the gaping hole, and the man who had literally been ripped apart had all been caused by the same creature.

Kirk approached the hole, standing directly in front of it as he peered inside. "Defiantly big enough to walk through without much hassle," he mumbled under his breath.

McCoy felt his eyes widen in alarm, "Wait, you're not thinking of going in there are you?"

Kirk turned to face his Chief Medical Officer, "There might still be people on board that need our help. We came down to aid a distressed crew and that's what we're going to do."

"What if there's some of those creatures on board? You saw how easily they ripped through his flesh!" McCoy cried.

"The Doctor does have a point Captain, we don't know much about this species and how many are present on this planet. There is a possibility we may be under prepared," Spock added.

"So what, we regroup with the Enterprise, bring down a larger party?" Kirk frowned at the two of them, "That could take too long, and by that time we could be too late to save anyone on this ship."

"He has point," Naomi agreed with Kirk. Spock and McCoy turned harshly to look at her making Naomi feel the size of a pea.

Kirk sighed, drawing McCoy and Spock's attention back to him, "How about this? We'll have the Enterprise on standby if we run into any trouble?"

"That would be satisfactory," Spock nodded.

Kirk looked at McCoy whose brow was still furrowed.

McCoy let out a deep sigh before mumbling, "Fine. I guess that's the best option I'm gonna get out of you…."

Kirk smirked before turning back to the gaping hole leading into the depths of the ship. It was pitch black inside and looked rather foreboding.

"Here," Naomi said as she handed Kirk a small black spherical object. Kirk took the object from her with a frown.

Naomi spoke when she spotted his confusion, "It's a light. Just twist it." With that she reached down placing her hand on top of the sphere in his hand and gave it a twist.

The sphere instantly changed in a ball of pure light.

"It shouldn't run out either. It converts all kinds of gas matter into electrical energy," Naomi told him with a small twinkle in her eye.

Kirk gazed down at the object in amazement than back up at Naomi, "Did you make this?"

Naomi felt herself shift uneasily, "Yeah, I made a few. I thought they might come in handy."

"Wow! That's really impressive!" Kirk exclaimed as he grinned down at her.

Naomi smiled back at him with a "Thanks," before her face rose in temperature again.

Kirk then turned back to the hole with a look of determination as he led his crew into the shadowy depths.

McCoy didn't like this. Although when did he like any of the away missions Kirk dragged him on? It always seemed to end the same way. Them coming across some kind of danger and having to run for their lives (he was a doctor, not a track star!). His uneasy and worry about the outcome of the mission wasn't exactly eased, especially with Kirk's last plan. He had decided to split the away team up into two groups. His reasoning for this was to make the search of the ship quicker, so they didn't have to spend too long in potential danger. McCoy couldn't really fault that, but he had to admit there was a sense of security in numbers. Plus he wasn't exactly pleased with how Kirk had split the teams. The idea was to make sure both engineering and medical trained staff were present on each team. McCoy had been placed with Scotty, Sulu, Sully and Spock. While Kirk had taken Naomi, Rila and Connell with him. While he had made no verbal complaints, he still wasn't happy. He had this feeling (more than likely based off of past experience) that Kirk was going to run into trouble. If anything happened to Rila he'd- heck, if anything happened to any of them- Kirk would defiantly be getting more than an earful later.

As if reading McCoy's uneasy, Spock stopped ahead of them pulling out his communicator. He flipped it open and waited for a response.

"Yes Commander?" came Kirk's voice from the other end. McCoy felt himself internally relax. Good, Kirk's team was fine.

"Just checking in Captain," Spock replied.

"We're fine Spock, nothing to worry about," Kirk's voice echoed out of the communicator once more.

"That is pleasing to hear to here Captain."

"Have you found any of the crew yet, Spock?" Kirk's voice asked.

"Not yet Captain," Spock answered.

Kirk let out an audible sigh and was about to reply when something interrupted him. An audible animalistic roar burst out through the communicator's speakers.

McCoy rushed over to Spock in alarm, "Jim, what the hell was that?"

Kirk didn't answer as he voice began to sound distance from the communicator, "Reed! Hold on I'm-"

His voice was drowned out by clattering, yells, screams and monstrous roars. Due to all the commotion it was hard to tell who yelled what.

"Move!"

"Reed no! Get off her!"

"Look out!"

"Get away! Get out of here now!"

"Not without you sir!"

There was something more undistinguishable about the rest of the yells then… silence. The group waited huddled around the communicator, just waiting for some clarification that all was well.

Spock eventually broke the silence, "Captain, are you alright?"

No answer.

"Damn it Jim, anybody say something!" McCoy cried in slight desperation down the communicator.

Still no answer.

The group exchanged worried glances with each other.

Spock quickly leapt into action as he turned to Scotty, "Mr Scott have you got a location on their communicators?"

"Aye sir," Scotty quickly pulled out a small data pad typing at it furiously.

"Then lead the way Mr Scott," Spock replied.

Scotty nodded as he hastily took the lead, glancing between the light of the small data pad and the dark hallway in front of him.

McCoy felt his body freeze over when they entered the room where the communicators signal was bleeping from. His eyes widened as he stopped in his tracks.

All the furniture in the room had been flipped over and tossed aside. Daylight poured in through a concerning large hole on the far outer wall. But that wasn't what turned McCoy's blood to ice. There was a concerning large amount of blood on the floor, some of it had splattered up the walls and over the furniture. He took a deep breath as he apprehensively entered the room further along with his crew mates.

"Connell!" Scully cried rushing over to his fellow officer. Connell was slumped down on the left wall. His head was angled down and a large blood pool surrounded him. His shirt had been torn open and he carried the same wounds as the previous man they had discovered. It was clear by looking at him that Connell was indeed dead. McCoy tried to settle his rising panic but he couldn't. Connell was dead. Kirk, Naomi and Rila had vanished. The panic had well indeed begun to settle in….


	4. First Away Mission Part 2

_Hi guys, still loving the continued support I had for this. I'd love to hear your opinions, so don't hesitate to drop a review! It would be much appreciated! _

_This one-shot is the second part to the previous one-shot. Just a reminder that is one-shot takes place not long after Naomi's is given a place on board the Enterprise as an inventor. This continuation in particular is Naomi's first official away mission with the crew of the Enterprise. Set some time before Jim/Naomi and Bones/Rila become established/confirmed couples. Also there might be a little more focus on Naomi rather than Rila in this chapter and the previous (tried to keep it as even as I could). _

_Again word of warning, there's going to be some injuries and a bit of bloody violence in this one. You have been warned! _

_I hope you enjoy this concluding chapter and keep favouriting/following! Thanks!_

**First Away Mission Part 2**

"Reed! Reed, can you hear me?"

"Is she okay Rila?"

"James I told you to keep pressure on that!"

"I am!"

"Clearly not, you're dripping blood all over my patient!"

Naomi felt like she was floating, barely drifting on the edge of reality. She could hear the voices but they sounded distant, almost muffled.

She heard a sigh then felt a hand cup around her cheek, "Reed it's me. Come on, just open your eyes."

Naomi suddenly dropped out of her weightlessness, hitting a wall of pain. Her head felt like it was splitting open in a sea of agony. She groaned in pain as she felt the voices become clearer, crisper.

"That's it. Come on; open your eyes for me Reed." Naomi recognised Kirk's gentle tone as she groaned again. She slowly opened her eyes to a swirling mess of unfocussed images.

"Rila she's coming around," she heard Kirk cry with relief.

She saw another unfocussed swirl move into her eye line. She groaned again, closing her eyes briefly.

"Come on Reed, that's it," Rila encouraged her.

"Ugh," Naomi let out another groan and opened her eyes once more. "For the record I've always preferred it when people call me Naomi," she let a small smile cross over her lips as Kirk and Rila came into full focus.

They were both leaned over her gazing down at her intently. The two of them smiled in sync as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Good to have you back Re-" Rila started then corrected herself, "Naomi."

Naomi smiled widely before she attempted to move her head, instantly regretting it. A wave of pain hit her, she gritted her teeth letting out a small scream.

"Careful there Naomi," Kirk assured her moving his thumb gently across her cheek. It was after the pain had passed Naomi noticed that despite the clear indication she was lying on the ground, her head was elevated. Her head was in fact resting in lap on a certain Captain James T Kirk, who currently still had his hand cupped around her cheek.

Naomi felt herself blush mildly on the revelation as she gazed up at Kirk for a moment.

Rila's voice grounded her back, "James is right Naomi. They hit you round the head pretty hard I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't got some kind of concussion."

They… Naomi tried to remember the past events but it became a miss matched blur. She sighed before she slowly began to push herself up, ignoring the pain that followed the movement.

"Steady," Kirk assured her as he placed his hands firmly on her back to help up into a sitting position. She took his advice as she eventually reached a sitting position, "Thanks Kirk."

Kirk smirked at her, "Look if you gonna insist I call you Naomi, I'm gonna have to insist you call me Jim."

Rila rolled her eyes.

Naomi felt herself smirk, "Alright… Jim."

Jim grinned widely at that as he moved his hands from her back, confident that she could stay sat up without his support.

Naomi blinked, fighting back the dizziness as she began to look around their surroundings. The three of them were situated in a small dark alcove of stone. The walls were made of stone and it was clear that they were in a tunnel of caves. Her hands brushed over the floor that was made up of dried glass, leaves and twigs. Was this a nest?

Her gaze fell back on Rila and Jim. Aside from a few visible bruises and cuts, Rila looked mostly unscathed. Whereas Jim was sporting a puffed up black bruise on his left eye and his right forearm had a deep cut that was bleeding heavily.

As if she had followed her gaze, Rila scowled, "I told you to keep pressure on that!"

Jim rolled his eyes as he quickly moved his left hand to cover the wound, "I am! See?"

Rila heaved out a sigh as she moved beside Jim, "Give me some of your shirt."

Jim frowned in confusion, "Wait what?"

"Oh for-" Rila rolled her eyes, "I need something to tie the wound up with and these dresses are short enough without ripping any more material off them!"

"Okay," Jim said, deciding not to argue with her as he ripped off some of the sleeve that wasn't covered in his own blood.

Rila took the bits of cloth from him without a word as she set to work. Pulling up his bloody sleeve, she began to wrap and knot the cloth tightly around the bleeding wound. Once she was finished she sat back, "There that should hold for a while."

"Thanks," Jim mumbled as he gazed down at makeshift bandage.

Naomi gazed at the two of them, "So what's the plan to get out of here?"

"Well we can't just walk out of here if that's what you're thinking," Rila replied.

Naomi frowned. Without saying a word Rila pointed to the entrance.

Naomi slowly scurried towards to the small alcove entrance, careful not to rattle her head around too much. When she was close enough she began to peer out into the cave tunnels.

Her eyes widened and it began to dawn on her how much danger they were actually in.

Stood a little way down the tunnel (which Naomi gathered was the only exit) was the very creature that the away team had been hoping to avoid. It reminded Naomi of a wild wolf type creature, but instead of being hunched on all fours it was stood up on its legs. The creature stood roughly seven foot in height, and its back appeared to be naturally hunched over. Its entire torso was buckled up with pure muscle. Their arms were packed with muscles and were much longer in length than any humans. Naomi's eyes widened further as they fell upon the huge claws that accompanied the long arms, they curled round like a scythes.

Naomi gulped, glad she hadn't experienced being on the other end of those claws. A sudden memory flashed into her mind at how those claws had torn into Connell's torso. She shuddered.

She slowly began her way back to Rila and Jim, "Considering we're still alive I'm guessing we're-"

"Bait," Rila finished her sentence.

Naomi muttered under her breath, "Great…"

She flopped back down beside them. If they just sat here and waited for a rescue party they would only endanger the rest of the crew. They had to get out and they had to get out now! Naomi gritted her teeth as she tried to think. She had gotten herself out of a variety of situations like this in past but granted back then it had been men with guns not seven foot wolf creatures who could rip you to pieces. She felt herself mentally curse. Her head was pounding in quick painful bursts making it hard to focus.

Jim watched her in slight concern as he saw the familiar signs of pain showing on her face again. He furrowed his brow as he pulled himself to his feet and crept towards the entrance. They needed a way out of here. He peered round just like Naomi had, this time making sure to thoroughly check the wolf creature was guarding the only exit. The creature was indeed guarding their only exit. He was left with only one idea to get them out, and he knew for a fact that no one was going to like it. 

"James I don't like it," Rila whispered as she crept behind her captain. Both her and Naomi were positioned behind Jim as they began to leave the safety of the alcove. Rila had instinctively placed a hand on Naomi's arm. Despite her instance that she was okay, Rila could spot the signs of dizziness.

Jim glanced back at her as if to say "Trust me". He had taken the lead, a large stone grasped in his hands. Jim Kirk's master plan was to sneak up, take out the guard or at least distract him so they could make a break for it. Rila hated this plan, but even she had to admit it was all they had. She tried to turn off all the possible disastrous ways this could go wrong out of her mind. But they still kept creeping in making her skin turn to stone.

Jim could feel his heart beating in his chest at a quicker pace than he'd like. He was certain that sooner or later he'd be heard by the creature in front of him, ripping him to shreds before moving onto Naomi and Rila. He shuddered. No, he needed to push those thoughts away. This was going to work.

He gazed at Rila and Naomi as they stopped behind him, giving them a small reassuring nod before beginning the rest of the way alone. He raised the large stone above his head as he crept up upon the creature. Goosebumps rose up on his arms as he got closer… closer… closer… closer…

The creature abruptly turned around almost as if it had known he was there all along. It bared its teeth and roared at Jim, about to attack.

Naomi's eyes widened as she was about to rush forward, "Jim!"

Not giving his brain chance to register the fear tearing through him, Jim reacted quickly. Taking the stone in his hand, he pushed the stone into the creature overstretched mouth. The creature cried out in muffled surprise as it took a step back from Jim.

Jim turned to Naomi and Rila, "Time to go!"

Rila didn't need telling twice as she began to run, dragging Naomi after her. They sprinted past Jim and down the tunnel.

Jim took one last look at the creature that had begun to howl in confusion at the sudden hard, wedged object in its mouth. He gulped then sprinted after Naomi and Rila.

Rila and Naomi sprinted side by side, pushed on by pure adrenaline. Naomi glanced over her shoulder searching for Jim.

"I'm right behind you Naomi," Jim cried as he sprinted behind them, "Now come on!"

Naomi felt a small smile of relief tug at her lips as she turned her attention back ahead as Rila continued to pull her along beside her.

Rila felt herself panic, they were coming up to an intersection and she could now hear the approaching howls of their pursers.

"Which way?" Rila cried through panting breaths.

Jim had been too busy glancing in fear over his shoulder to notice her question.

"James!" Rila almost screeched at him, "Which way?"

Jim turned abruptly, noticing the intersection ahead.

"Go left!" he called.

"Left, are you sure?" Rila cried back.

"I'm sure, now pick up the pace!" Jim yelled rallying up behind them.

Rila didn't need telling twice, she could already hear the roars getting closer. She picked up the pace, Naomi doing the same beside her as they raced down the left tunnel. Jim took another glance over his shoulder as the howls grew louder. He could feel the pure panic give him a sudden surge of energy as he raced on.

The race for their lives continued as they twisted and turned through the dark tunnels, propelled on as the howls continued to blast out behind them. Rila didn't even know if they were indeed going the right way. For a long time she had a rising fear that they weren't going to escape, that they were only delaying their inevitable demise.

"Rila look!" Naomi's panting voice cried out beside her.

Rila focused on the tunnel ahead of them and felt a sudden sense of relief.

"Daylight!" she cried out.

Directly ahead of them was a small hole of an entrance that led up to the surface of the planet. They were going to make it!

Tightening her grip on Naomi's arm, she pushed on towards the entrance.

She called over her shoulder, "James! Daylight!"

"I know I heard!" Jim panted, not far behind them.

Rila felt a small smile curl on her lips as she pressed on with Naomi. The howls behind them continued their sense of urgency.

When they eventually reached the entrance Rila skidded to a halt with Naomi. She gazed up, it truly was a hole to the surface. They were going to have to climb their way out.

"Don't just stand, go!" Jim cried out as he stopped behind them, urging them on as the howls began to get louder.

Rila glanced at Naomi and pulled her in front, "After you."

Naomi decided not to argue as Rila pushed her towards the hole. She squinted her eyes in fierce determination as she began to scramble up the uneven bank to the surface. Rila helped push her up some of the way, the rest was up to her. Pushed on by the rising panic in her friends, Naomi scrambled up with her nails and bared teeth. Heaving out an exasperated breath, Naomi pulled herself onto the ground outside. Her eyes squinted at the bright light hitting her face. Quickly pulling herself she sat beside the hole, ready to help the others out despite the blurriness threatening to overtake her vision.

Jim looked up at Naomi before turning to Rila, the urgency still present in his voice, "Okay Rila, you next."

Rila nodded as she allowed Jim to give her boost up the hill bank. Rila then began to climb quickly up the hill bank, stumbling slightly every now and again.

Naomi reached her hand down to Rila, who was still stumbling. Rila took her hand gratefully as Naomi pulled her up to the surface.

"Thanks," Rila mumbled at Naomi when she eventually reached the surface. Now it was Jim's turn and they needed to hurry. The howls of the creature below were getting increasingly closer.

"Jim come on!" Naomi called down to the man.

Jim nodded without a word as he began his climb. He climbed up with ease, not needing to rely on Naomi or Rila to pull him up. He had nearly reached the surface, just a few more steps…

Jim yelled out in pain as he slipped back the hill bank slightly.

"Jim!" Naomi cried out as she reached down taking his arm.

She tried to help pull him up but something was stopping her. She frowned in confusion, before she looked past Jim and her heart stopped.

One of the large creatures had dug their long claws into Jim's right leg, pulling him back down into the depths of the cave.

Rila must have followed Naomi's gaze too as she took Jim's other arm.

Jim cried out again as the creature dug its claws in deeper, trying to drag him back down.

Rila and Naomi clutched Jim's arms tightly as they pulled, beginning a tug of war with the creature over Jim.

"Hold on James, we've got you!" Rila cried out to Jim as she pulled.

Jim looked down at the creature trying to shake it off and kick out with his left leg to get it to release him. But the creature refused to let go as it dug its claws in deeper. Jim screeched out in pain as he continued to be pulled from both sides as the creature fought with Naomi and Rila.

The battle continued for a long time, to the point where Jim's entire right leg felt filled with nothing but pure pain.

Naomi had had enough. She reached out with one hand picking up a loose stone for the edge of the entrance.

"Back off!" she screeched as she hurled the stone at the creature head forcefully. The stone hit the creature square in the face, causing it to fall backwards and consequently release its death grip on Jim's leg.

Naomi and Rila took their chance as the pulled the Captain to safety.

Rila panted heavily as the three of them scurried back from the cave in heap of tangled limbs.

The three sat there for a moment, before a howl from inside the cave alerted them to the still very present danger.

"We've got to move," Jim cried through gritted teeth as Naomi and Rila moved to stand up.

He began to push himself up to try and stand, but as soon as he tried to put any weight on his right leg he felt a rush of pain. He bit his lip to suppress a scream.

"James you're not gonna be able to stand on that," Rila stated as she crouched down pulling Jim's left arm around the back of her neck. She glanced at Naomi, "Help me out here!"

Naomi didn't need a second prompt as she took Jim's other arm following Rila's actions. Together the two of them helped Jim to his feet, making sure he put no weight on his right leg. Jim felt himself grimace in pain as he unintentionally felt himself lean heavily on them. If they noticed they certainly didn't say anything.

"Let's try and lose them in the woodland," Naomi suggested. Rila nodded as the three of them made their way away from the cave entrance as quick as they could. Their speed was somewhat slowed due to lumbering along with an injured Jim, but again neither of them said anything.

They slipped into the trees and began to run for their lives once more. Angry howls could be heard behind them. The creatures had ventured out of their cave, giving chase once more. Naomi could feel her heart racing in her chest as they picked up the pace, half supporting half carrying Jim between them as they ran. 

The three of them stumbled through the woodland at a brisk pace, pushed on by the continuing howls and heavy footsteps behind them. Even when they did stumble, they recovered quickly running for their lives once more. Branches brushed past them in a blur, as they trudged on at impressive speed. Despite this Naomi couldn't help but wonder how long they could keep this up. Every step juddered her head sharply, causing her to blink furiously to put her vision back in focus. Even though he'd never admit it, Jim was beginning to tire increasing from the blood loss, his eye lids were starting to droop heavily. Rila was also beginning to tire as she worked her muscles into overdrive, her frame wasn't built for this kind of physical exertion.

Regardless they pushed on as they came to wide open clearing. The ground here was more uneven than the woodland floor, so they struggled as they attempted to scramble through. They were making incredible progress at such a fast speed, that Naomi felt confident that they'd were going to get away.

"Ahhh," Jim let out a sharp cry as his dangling, bloody right leg hit something hard causing him to topple. Naomi and Rila weren't fast enough to catch him as Jim collapsed down onto his knees.

"Jim!" Naomi cried out, his arm still draped around her neck as she halted beside him. His face was clenched up in agony and looked worryingly paler.

"Jim, are you okay?" Naomi questioned him, the panic clearing showing in her voice.

"Never better," Jim muttered through clenched teeth.

A group of howls echoed behind them.

Rila glanced at Jim and Naomi, whipping into action.

"Come on James, we've got to move!" Rila cried out as she began to tug on Jim's arm.

Naomi did the same as the two of them began to tug at Jim's arms to get him back on his feet (or foot) again. He didn't bug.

The howls echoed again, closer now.

"Jim come on! They're coming!" Naomi cried out in frustration.

"Then go," Jim looked up at them, "I'm only slowing you down."

"We can't just leave you here! They'll kill you!" Naomi exclaimed.

"But if we carry on like this, they'll catch us. The two of you stand a better chance on your own," Jim justified.

"If you stay put like that, then yes they will kill you and us. Now get up so we can go!" Rila snapped, her brow furrowed in determination and slight anger.

Still Jim refused to move.

"I order you-" Jim began.

"Don't you dare!" Rila yelled angrily, "Don't play that card!"

Naomi glanced at Jim, she could hear the howls continuing to get closer. Any minute now they would be emerging from the other side of the clearing.

She gulped, even if they did start moving again now it was already becoming too late. She unsteadily walked to the left slightly, bending down slowly to pick a long branch from the floor. Clenching the branch tightly in hands, she turned back the others.

"What are doing?" Rila asked her.

"Their coming through the clearing any second now and if we do try to escape they're going to catch us eventually," Naomi paused for a moment closing her eyes to block on the dizziness before opening them, a level of ferocity in her gaze.

"We've got no choice but the fight," Naomi stated far more confidently than she felt.

Jim looked at her in a level of disbelief and surprise.

"Hey if he's gonna refuse to move then we're just going to have to stay here and help him defend himself," Naomi eyed their surprised expressions.

Rila looked between the two of them. She finally began to understand why the two of them got on so well. They were both stubborn to the point she'd want to start tearing her hair out. Yet she couldn't dispute Naomi's suggestion. They were only delaying the inevitable, it was only a matter of time before they'd have to face the creatures head on.

Following Naomi's lead, Rila picked up two other large branches handing one to Jim before clutching hers tightly.

"Alright, but if this gets us killed-" Rila started

"Then you can kill me all over again," Naomi interrupted her with a smirk.

Jim couldn't help but smile to himself. While he would have preferred to allow the two of them to escape, he couldn't help but find their loyalty to him heart-warming.

Rila nodded in satisfaction as they faced the other side of the clearing. Jim was still on his knees as per instructed by Rila, that "he's not standing on that damn leg".

Naomi felt herself gulp as they waited in anticipation for the arrival of the creatures. 

The first creature burst from the woodland with ferocious velocity, charging towards them. Naomi stood her ground as she raised the branch above her head. She hoped she could take advantage of its overpowering rage to limit its accuracy.

The creature was directly in front of her now. Taking her chance, Naomi swung the branch with as much force as she could muster. The branch thwacked off the creature head as it tripped slightly. But that didn't delay it for long as it rushed towards Naomi once more. Naomi panicked bringing the branch in front of her for defence. The creature collided with the branch as she used it to keep the creature back. She pushed with all her might against the branch, but the creature continued to push back with equal amount of force. Gritting her teeth she cried out, "Rila can I get some help here?"

"A little busy here!" Rila snapped as she fought off her own attacker. She caught the creature square in the jaw, but that didn't seem to delay it for long. It snapped back around in fury, knocking Rila down hard onto her back. Rila found herself gasping for air as they oxygen left her lungs. Luckily she had just enough time to bring up the branch, blocking the creature's bared teeth and unleashed claws. Teeth and claws dug into the branch as the creature yowled trying to bite out at Rila but the branch blocked its way. Rila found herself holding the branch high above to stop the creature from reaching her neck. She gasped and fumbled, feeling her strength draining with every exasperated bite the creature attempted. This was it. She was going to die. Any second now her strength would give in and the creature would sink its teeth into her neck. She cast a brief glance at Naomi who had knocked managed to knock out one of the creatures and was stood in front of Jim fighting off another one that was trying to go for the injured captain. Jim looked worse, a hell of lot worse. He paled more so than before and his eyes were mostly closed. Rila mentally cursed she hadn't been able to pull up that nasty leg wound. The pure drainage of blood was significantly weakening him. He was trying to help Naomi but he could barely move, let alone waving a branch to fend of the creature. Naomi on the other hand, was on her feet defending her captain. The branch was clenched firmly in her hand as she fought off the creature. But even Rila could notice the hesitation and pure clumsiness in her swings. Her concussion was already an issue but now it was becoming a problem.

Rila took a deep breath as she turned back to the creature above her. Her arms eventually gave the branch dropping uselessly to her side. Her eyes stared up in horror as the creature stared her down. She could have sworn it slyly smirk at her in content at its helpless prey. Rila watched as the creature opened its mouth wide, baring its white fangs. The fangs began to close in on her. Her eyes widened in pure fear. She froze for a moment before she instinctively turned her head away and closing her eyes. This was it. She was resided to her fate. This was the end. She waited for the pain to hit her, then for the bitter end of death. 

But it didn't come. No matter how long she remained with her eyes closed it didn't come. Something felt different. Had her mind somehow skipped over the pain and she was now dead? Taking her chances Rila slowly opened her eyes. She found her blinking as the bright artificial light booming into her eyes. Was she dead? As the setting began to come into true focus, her question was answered. She felt herself smile widely as she pulled herself up into a sitting. Her, Naomi and Jim was situated safely on the pads in transporter room of the Enterprise. The soft buzz of the room's consoles grounded Rila into a sense of security. It would appear that the crew had come to their aid just in the nick of time.

Naomi felt herself release a long deep breath she didn't realise she been holding, when her feet touched the secure floor of the transporter pad. The branch quickly becoming a stick of support as the after effects of the transporter caused another bout of dizziness. She turned around to glance at Rila, smiling at her. Rila returned the smile. The two of them turned to Jim and their expressions changed to that of pure concern.

He looked very close to blacking out. His face was contorted in pain and his right leg was continuing to bleed heavily.

"Shit," Rila mumbled under her breath as she scrambled over to him. She placed a gently hand on his back.

"James," she said.

"I'm- fine," he stammered out, the pain and exhaustion clear in his voice.

"The hell you are!" came a gruff voice.

The two of them looked up just as Leonard McCoy entered, in all his "pissed off but I'm still concerned" glory. Spock was right beside him, along with a couple of medical staff including Nurse Chapel.

Naomi felt herself smile widely upon seeing them, part of her down there had wondered if she ever would again. She knew McCoy was just waiting to give them an earful (especially Jim), but his concern was outweighing his anger right now.

"The Doctor is right Captain," Spock added as he gazed at Jim with an equal amount of concern.

Rila glanced at Jim, looking at his bleeding leg.

"Looks like they might have caught an artery," Rila stated to McCoy as she gazed up him.

McCoy nodded as he rushed over, scanner in hand, "Certainly looks that way."

He knelt down beside Jim, doing at quick scan with a frown before taking Jim's left arm and draping it over his shoulders.

"Spock give me hand," McCoy frowned up at the Vulcan. Spock didn't need telling twice as the two of them lifted Jim between them carrying him to med bay. McCoy called over his shoulder, "Chapel, you and Adam get Reed to med bay before she passes out. Looks like she's got a concussion. Make sure Rila gets herself checked out too."

Rila pulled a face, almost tempted to place her hands on her hips, "Am I not trusted to check up and tend to my own injuries?"

"No, because you'll be too interested in patching these two idiots up before you let anyone even go near you with a scanner!" McCoy answered not even looking at her as both him and Spock left the transporter room.

Rila shook her head as she followed after them. Adam (everyone referred to him by his first name, he was a fresh graduate from the academy) and Chapel weren't far behind as they gently helped Naomi towards med bay, her dizziness had gotten worse and she was struggling to stay on her feet. The group left the transporter room together. 

"Oww," Naomi grumbled under her breath as she gently rubbed her temples, there was a thin bandage around her head where the previous bleeding wound had been. Despite the pain killers she had been given it still continued to thump with pain. She was propped up in one of the med bay's beds. McCoy had insist she get some rest like the sleeping Captain (well more like passed out) in the bed opposite her. Despite various medical staff reassuring her he was going to be fine, she still found herself glancing over every now and again.

"Stop being such an infant Reed and get some rest. After our little adventure I'm sure you're going to need it," Rila stated, she had a small plaster on her face covering up a cut and a variety of thin bandages covered a range of minor injuries to her body. Ever since they'd gotten back on board, Rila had fallen back into addressing her by her surname. Naomi just guessed it was some kind of formality and let it slide. She may have preferred her first name but Reed was better than some of the ridiculous nicknames her late mother had given her.

Rila had taken some convincing to peel herself away from attempting to assist with tending to her injured crewmates.

"Like I can actually get to sleep with what feels like drills ramming into my skull," Naomi answered.

"I could always-"

"If you gonna suggest a sedative again, I swear I will stick it where the sun don't shine!" Naomi snapped, the pain in her head making her irritable.

"Wow and here was me thinking we were shaping the beginning of a beautiful friendship," Rila added with a slight sarcasm in her tone.

"Friendship? Wow that exhaustion must finally be getting to you," Naomi smirked.

Rila let out a laugh. Naomi had to admit she was a little taken by surprise, but her expression soon softened as she begun to laugh too.

"If you've got time to stand around laughing, you've got time to go and get some rest," McCoy frowned at Rila. Since they had arrived back he seemed to be getting more and more irritated. Naomi knew he only had their best interests at heart and was only angry because he cared (like he'd ever admit it). He'd been urging Rila to go and get some rest for the past hour or so. Rila hadn't exactly disagreed but she had stayed in the med bay longer than he'd hoped.

Rila rolled her eyes, "Give me a moment Leonard."

"You said the same thing an hour ago," McCoy replied, not even gazing at her as he proceeded to look over some readings.

'_Probably Jim's,' _Naomi thought.

Rila scowled turning back to Naomi.

Naomi noticed the annoyance in Rila's gaze and instead of making a snide comment she decided to change the subject. "I think I might have a theory," Naomi stated.

It had been something she mulling over it for some time, while also attempting to sneakily watch Jim's progress from across the room. She had been thinking about it for a while, ever since she'd gotten a look at the interior of the 'crashed' ship.

"Theory?" Rila asked puzzled, unsure what Naomi was getting at.

"About that distressed crew," Naomi replied.

Rila nodded as the light bulb suddenly clicked on.

"Well when we went inside their ship it looked kind of familiar…." Naomi started.

"Familiar? Did you know them?"

"No not exactly. More like people like them."

Rila raised an eyebrow, "Are you saying they were thieves?"

"Thieves, smugglers, you name it. Like you said many of them drift on the edges of federation space. Some of them are decent people or at least decent to their crews. They probably were after something on the planet, then well…" Naomi trailed off.

"They stomped all over those creatures territory and they turned hostile," Rila finished.

Naomi nodded ever so slightly before, "They probably wouldn't have called at all if it wasn't for those creatures. They really were in danger, and well… we were too late to save them."

"Don't beat yourself up about that Reed, we all weren't prepared for what was down there," Rila stated.

"I know, I know," Naomi mumbled.

The two of them fell into silence for a few minutes.

"Right I better go, before grumpy over there drags me back to my quarters," Rila said as she briefly pointed back at McCoy.

Naomi felt a wide smile spread on her face as she spotted McCoy look up at Rila with a scowl.

"You better get some rest too or I will come back with sedative," Rila pointed a finger sharply at Naomi.

"Okay, okay," Naomi said as she closed her eyes, "Happy?"

"Yes," she heard Rila say before Rila's footsteps met her ears.

Naomi cracked open her eyes slightly as her gaze followed Rila. Rila was about to leave before McCoy gently caught her arm. She didn't hear what the two of them said to each other but she noticed an unusually tenderness in McCoy's gaze. She knew the two of them were close but… was there more to it than that? Her suspicions seem to be almost confirmed as McCoy placed a hand on Rila's cheek.

Naomi quickly looked away. The two of them clearly thought no one was around to see them. She then turned her gaze back to seeing Rila leaving and McCoy gazing after her. Once Rila was out of sight, McCoy moved and sat down at his desk with a sigh. Naomi raised an eyebrow, hoping everything was alright and McCoy was just sighing due to the eventful day. Choosing to keep what she saw to herself, Naomi closed her eyes. She blocked out the pain as she drifted off into a deep sleep.


	5. Nightmare

_Hey everyone, been a few weeks since I last updated. Activity on this will really depend on my work load from college, so you may have to wait sometime between updates. Just thought I'd give you all a heads up! Thanks again so far for the favourites and follows, it's much appreciated! I'd really love to hear your thoughts on the series so far, and constructive criticism is always welcome (please be polite about it). _

_Okay in terms of this one-shot, it's almost just a cute little hurt/comfort fluff piece between Jim and Naomi. That means no Bones in this chapter (sorry guys), although Rila makes a little cameo ;) This one takes place not that long after the last two part one-shot. Hope you enjoy! And remember to keep favouriting/following the story if you like what you read! And please don't hesitate to leave a review, it would highly be appreciated! _

**Nightmare**

Jim strode almost silently along the twisting corridors. He had a valid reason for his quiet movements. It was late and many of the crew had retired for the evening. He himself had only just be relieved of duty. Even he had to admit he was thankful, trying to stifle yawn had become more and more difficult in that last hour. There was a certain air about the ship at this late hour that he liked. The lack of crew wandering through the corridors added for a quieter and calmer atmosphere. This allowed for the quiet hums of the Enterprise to be heard clearly. It was relaxing to say the least. While he couldn't deny in any manner how much he found some enjoyment in the thrills each day possibly presented, he still liked some kind of calm in his daily routine.

He made sure each evening to walk the same route through the ship, despite said route taking him longer. This particular route always led Jim past many of the ships main working rooms and even the Med bay, but that wasn't why he took it. The route led him past the lab and living quarters of the one and only, Naomi Reed. He made a point of stopping by every evening if he could. Jim had never revealed this fact to anyone, however a certain Dr Rila Kirza had managed to take notice. 

_She stayed late in the Med bay on more than a few occasions. When Jim Kirk had come striding past the door every evening, well it sparked her curiosity. One evening she'd had enough of sitting there and raising an eyebrow (very much in McCoy fashion), so she followed him. Luckily Jim had been too lost in his own thoughts to notice her sneaking behind him. Well not until it was too late. _

"_So this is what brings you down here every evening?" Rila Kirza asked, her arms folded across her small frame. _

_Jim froze just outside Naomi's door and turned to face Rila. He was too taken by surprise to reply. _

_Rila felt herself smirk, "My my James if I didn't know any better I'd say fallen for this girl." _

_Jim's eyes widened in alarm as he felt his cheeks begin to burn crimson. "What? No!" he stammered out. _

_Rila's eyebrows raised in revelation, "James don't tell me…"_

"_Tell you what? There's nothing to tell!" Jim snapped defensively as his face began to burn brighter. _

_Rila let a smile curl onto her lips, "Wow James, you've not just got a thing for her…" Rila paused as Jim shuffled uncomfortably, "You're in love with her, aren't you?" _

"_What? No…. it's not like that…" Jim mumbled. _

"_Then what is it like?" Rila questioned. _

_He was caught off guard for a moment before he stammered out, "I thought she just deserved some kindness after everything's that happened." _

_Rila nodded slowly, "Right and you expect me to believe you only seeing her out of pity?" _

"_No that's not what I meant," Jim answered frowning. _

"_You're going to really have to get your story straight if you want me to believe you," Rila stated. _

_Jim grumbled as he furrowed his brow in annoyance. It seemed Rila was enjoying putting him on the spot. Rila let out a small deep breath as she let Jim squirm for a moment. She then turned, "Look story or no story the truth is clear on your face, James. You're in love with her and I think it's time you're honest with yourself about that." _

_With that Rila left Jim pondering with her closing statement as she headed back to Med bay. _

As Jim continued down the corridor on this particular evening he couldn't help but hear Rila's words echo in his head.

"_You're in love with her and I think it's time you're honest with yourself about that."_

Every time he tried to think of a reason why he found himself at Naomi's door every evening he couldn't. His thoughts went fuzzy when he thought of her. Her brown eyes, her ruffled locks of brown hair, the way the soot lingered on her nose and cheeks. Those mere associations with her always brought a smile to his face. Was Rila right? Was he really in love with Naomi Reed?

Jim shook his head clearing the questions. He just had to focus on his destination. He wondered if she was still up. Most nights Naomi chose to stay up till the early hours of the morning working. However sometimes all the lights would be turned off and the door would be locked. If that was the case Jim would just past and leave her to rest. It would appear this would be one of those nights. As Jim slowed down his pace he noticed the absence of light under the door frame. The glowing red of the panel next to the door indicated it was locked. Naomi had turned in for the night. Scurrying past the door, Jim tried to bury his disappointed. He was about to pick up is pace once more, casting one more brief look at Naomi's door as he went. That's when he froze in his tracks. 

An ear splitting scream met his ears, turning his blood to ice. That scream… Naomi!

Leaping into action, Jim rushed to Naomi's door. He banged on the door hard, "Naomi! Naomi, are you alright?"

No reply. He began to panic. All sorts of scenarios played through his head, varying from a potential intruder to some of Naomi's tech backfiring at a highly dangerous level. While he hadn't heard an explosion he didn't rule it out. He punched in an override code for the locked door (being captain of the ship did have its benefits). As soon as the door was unlocked he rushed inside. 

Jim was met with pitch black as he strode into the room. It didn't help when the door zoomed shut behind him, submerging him further in the darkness.

"Naomi?" he almost whispered in uncertainty.

His question was met with a faint whimper. He frowned, was that Naomi? Not being able to stand the darkness any longer, Jim spoke softly, "Lights twenty-five per-cent."

The lights sparked into life casting a dull glow. When Jim's eyes had finally adjusted his gaze was drawn to the far back of the room. This particular area was where Naomi slept. It was integrated into her lab providing her with almost oversized living quarters. Jim's gaze scanned this area before it rested on Naomi's small bed.

Naomi was sat upright in her bed, but that wasn't what drew Jim's full attention. She was panting heavily and hadn't even noticed he'd entered the room.

Taking a deep breath he began to approach her. As he got closer his concern began to grow. She was shaking wildly, her skin had turned a ghostly pale and fresh tears lingered on her face. Something was very wrong.

"Naomi?" he asked gently as he slowly approached. Again she didn't take any notice as her wide gaze was fixed ahead of her.

He gulped when he was within inches of her bed. "Naomi," he whispered as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Naomi instantly jumped up crawling and shying away from Jim, almost like she was expecting him to attack.

He raised his hands in front of him in reassurance, "Relax, it's only me."

Naomi finally met Jim's gaze and her body instantly became less tense, "Jim."

Jim gazed down at her. He'd never seen her like this before. Granted he'd seen her grieve when she lost her mother, but only at the initial lose. If she had continued grieving, which Jim presumed she had given the love and admiration Naomi had for her dead family, she'd kept it to herself. Naomi wasn't the type to showcase her fear and tears in front of anyone; she was very reserved about that kind of thing (at least for as long as he'd known her). But right now, she was cowering in front of him and he'd never seen her looking so fragile.

Jim really wasn't good with this kind of thing, he knew she wasn't okay but he was at a loss for words as to how he could improve the situation for her. The only question that sprang to mind was the most obvious he could have asked, "Are you okay?"

"What?" Naomi blinked at him, a few left over tears spilling out from her eyes.

"I heard a scream and well…" Jim started as he gazed down at her uneasily, "You're shaking Naomi…."

"Errmm…" Naomi mumbled unsure what to say. It was too late to compose herself in front of the captain, and she suddenly felt embarrassed and vulnerable. However, she suddenly felt a sense of relief at his presence.

Jim bit his lip in decision, before settling down to sit beside her on the bed. Naomi tried to look away but he caught her gaze again.

"What's going on Naomi?" he began still with a gentle tone in his voice, "You're really pale. Are you sick or something? Should I go get Rila?"

"No!" Naomi snapped defensively. She instantly regretted it as she saw the look of surprise mixed with hurt on Jim's face.

"Sorry," Naomi muttered, "Look it's nothing like that…"

She fell silent looking into her own lap, unsure what to say. Jim watched her intently, making a quick rash decision. Despite his own heart pounding in his chest he placed his hand firmly but gently on Naomi's knee. Ignoring the backflips his stomach did he began to address her once more, "Then what is it like?"

Naomi looked up at him, losing herself in his blue eyes for a moment before looking away again. She didn't answer his question.

Jim tried to hide his slight frustration and instead kept up his concern. "Sorry it's not my place to intrude…" he trailed off taking his hand away from her knee.

Naomi gazed back up at him, noticing his blue gaze had drifted away from her. She stayed staring at him for some time before she finally felt herself give in.

"You shouldn't be sorry, I should be… for worrying you…" she muttered.

Jim's blue gaze drifted towards her once more and their eyes locked. He noticed a few fresh tears slip down her face. He began to imagine himself lifting a hand to her face and wiping them away.

"That's okay," Jim reassured, instinctively placing his hand on her knee once more without a second thought.

Naomi normally would have felt her whole body screaming in delight at Jim's touch, but not this night. She was too afraid to take much notice.

"Still I owe you an explanation…"

Jim watched her expectantly still keeping his gentleness. There was a tone in her voice that made him realise that she was about to reveal something she'd normally have kept to herself. It made him finally see that after everything, he'd actually succeed in gaining her trust.

"You see Jim, I suffer from nightmares," Naomi began to explain, "They come and go, but sometimes they leave me…" Naomi paused gazing down at her shaking hands, "Well like this."

Jim sat in silence with her for a moment before asking, "How long have you had them?"

"Since I was a kid, they started properly when I was about ten… after my dad and brother died," Naomi answered, looking down sadly.

Jim nodded as he watched her take in a sharp shaky breath before continuing.

"Artemis recons that was what started it and well… any traumas that I end up experiencing trigger them," Naomi concluded, her gaze falling back up to Jim.

"Like losing your mother," Jim stated rather than asking.

Naomi nodded, looking away from Jim. The two of them were then plunged into silence again.

"Thanks for telling me about this Naomi, I understand it's not an easy thing to admit," Jim gave her knee a gentle squeeze and for the first time since he showed up Naomi felt her stomach become a nest of butterflies.

Naomi gazed up at Jim giving him a small smile which he returned.

"It's not really anything to worry about. I've dealt with them most my life, it isn't like this is anything new," Naomi reassured him as she felt the colour beginning to return to her body in a slightly red fashion.

"Alright," Jim nodded as he made to stand.

Naomi quickly reached out, grabbing his arm. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Despite that… erm Jim could I ask you something?" Naomi gazed at him with wide tear stained eyes.

Jim settled back down into to sitting position beside her, "Ask away."

"Could you stay?"

Jim frowned in confusion.

"Could you stay here with me tonight? I…. I don't want to be alone…" Naomi mumbled, looking more vulnerable than Jim had ever thought possible. His heart crumbled into pieces as he gazed at her.

"Of course," he found himself saying instantly.

Naomi wide eyes softened, "Thank you."

Jim nodded, smiling at her. He gazed at the bed. It was only a small single bed, which meant that no matter how they positioned themselves they'd still be in touching distance. He tried to hide his blush as he stood up.

"I hope you don't mind, I can't exactly sleep in my uniform," Jim turned to Naomi, tugging at his gold command shirt.

Naomi shook her head as she looked up at him. Jim gave a small nod before he pulled off his gold shirt. Naomi began to try to drift her gaze away from Jim as he stripped down to a black vest and his briefs. Her face had turned as red as a strawberry when he eventually turned back to her. If he noticed he didn't say anything. Moving slowly Jim sat down on the edge of Naomi's bed with slight uncertainty. Naomi's attempts at keeping her gaze averted failed as she gave in letting her eyes dance over the areas of Jim's exposed flesh. Her eyes drifted for a moment from Jim's shoulders down his bare arms and stopped at his hips. She didn't get any further as she quickly darted her gaze away, becoming even redder than her already strawberry features (if that was possible). When she turned her gaze back she spotted Jim staring at her intently. Luckily he hadn't noticed her travelling gaze, instead he was looking at Naomi's hands. Following his gaze, Naomi felt herself mental curse. Her hands were still trembling like leaves in the wind, the fear from the nightmares was still present in her system. What happened next took her by strong surprise. Jim's arm curled around her as he pulled her close. He couldn't stand it any longer. That longing to pull the afraid woman close to him, letting her know it was okay, letting her know she was safe.

Naomi's past embarrassment lingered for a moment before it completely disintegrated. Her emotion tumbled out as she buried her face in Jim's chest, letting loose the sobs she'd been holding back. Jim felt his body strangely become less tense when Naomi's unleashed her emotions. Every one of her sorrowful cries juddered through his own torso. He raised his free hand and began to run his fingers through her tangled hair. He kept his gentleness as Naomi began to cry. He felt his black vest begin to become soaked by her tears, but he didn't care. Gentle whispered reassurances filled her ears as he continued to hold her close. Her sobs slowly over time began to slow down and become less audible until there was nothing. Jim took this as his chance as he moved his head away from hers. Gazing down at her, he let a small smile cross over his lips. Naomi still had her head nuzzled against his chest, her eyes were shut tight and her breathing was at a relaxed pace. She had fallen asleep.

Jim decided to leave her at peace as he curled his arms around her, watching her gently.

"_Even when she's fast asleep she looks beautiful," _he found himself thinking. His face than suddenly went blank. Did he really just think that? Now of all times?

He mentally cursed as he felt himself blush. His mind brushed back to Rila's words.

"_You're in love with her and I think it's time you're honest with yourself about that." _

It began to dawn of him. Rila's words were certainly ringing true or at least some truth. Lying here right now, he began to truly realise that he had a lot of deep affection for her. Maybe Rila had been right. Maybe he really was in love with Naomi Reed.


	6. A Bond Called Friendship

_Hey guys. It's been a while since I've update, sorry to leave you waiting. _

_I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter and the contents. Anyway I hope you enjoy it regardless. This one will mainly attempt to focus of Naomi and Rila's growing friendship. This should take place not long after the previous entry. Anyway enjoy and please feel free to review. I'd love some opinions on this series. Thanks! _

**A Bond Called Friendship**

The deep freezing cold was the first thing she remembered. The shock of the sudden submergence into the frozen depths threatened to sink her deeper into its grasp. The next thing she remembered was the damp and wet water working its way through her clothing, right to her skin. For a moment, her body just sank frozen in shock as death reached for her ankles taking her down and down…

Adrenaline sparked in Naomi's body just in the nick of time. She kicked and scrawled her limbs through the chilling depths, fighting for the surface. She needed air. She couldn't breathe. She needed air now!

Her limbs suddenly began to move faster. Focussing on a spot of sunlight she fought against the clutches of the water. Her lungs were beginning to burn. She needed air.

With one last final push, Naomi broke the surface. Coughing and spluttering Naomi bobbed on the surface of the once frozen river. Pieces of ice still drifted around her, reminding Naomi that she needed to get out of here soon or she was most certainly going to freeze to death. She began to swim forward quickly then came to a sudden halt. Where was Rila? Rila Kirza, who a moment ago had been by her side on the land, was nowhere in sight.

"Rila," her first cry was hoarse and deeply struggled to leave her throat. Once Naomi felt her vocals warm up properly again she yelled, "Rila!"

Her head darted around as her arms and legs scrambled in a synchronised motion to keep her a float. She searched in desperate but came up with nothing.

Her body cried at her to get out the water, to get out of it now! But she refused. She had to find Rila.

"Rila!" Naomi cried out, the desperation clear in her voice. Still there was no response to her cries. Deciding to expand her search Naomi began to swim out, eyes darting at every angle. With each breathe and movement she continued to call out "Rila!"

Each movement became increasingly more difficult as her limbs stiffened and the coldness threatened to take her for good. Despite this, she fought on, not wavering as she searched desperately for the doctor. Her heart pounded quickly in her chest and her continued search came up with no results. Panic and pure fear had well and truly sunk in now. A brief image of how she'd have to break the tragic loss to Jim and McCoy drifted into her mind. She shook her head, shaking the morbid thought from her mind. It was in that moment that something in the not so far distance caught her eye.

"Rila!" Naomi gasped in a mixture of surprise and relief. Rila Kirza's arms were resting on the edge of a piece of drifting ice. Only the very top of her head could be seen but it was enough to propel Naomi on.

Naomi made marathon time to Rila's position. Once the distance between them had closed she felt her heart sink. Rila's skin had turned a ghostly pale and her eyes were closed. Actually when Naomi looked closer, there appeared to be no sign of life at all. Trying her best not to panic, Naomi looped her right arm around Rila pulling her close. She then paddled fiercely for land. Her struggle to stay afloat had become even more difficult with the added weight of a limp Rila. Naomi had to gasp and splutter wildly as ice water entered her mouth, freezing her insides.

'_Come on Naomi, nearly there,' _Naomi thought to herself as she pushed through the water. Her limbs cried out in protest as she carried on pushing the two of them through the waves.

It came as a huge relief when they hit the snowy bank and Naomi literally heaved the two of them out of the water.

She lay on her front in the snow for a moment, shivering and aching all over. The snowy cold atmosphere didn't help ease her chill, it made it worse as she continued to shiver. Shaking her head violently, Naomi refused to surrender to the freezing temperatures. Pushing herself up onto her knees, she crawled over to the still pale form of Rila.

Even though Naomi had hulled her to land, she still hadn't moved.

"Rila?" Naomi asked gently, her voice quiet and feeble. She gently shook the woman for good measure, but still nothing.

Taking a deep, shaky, teeth chattering breath Naomi placed two fingers to her neck. Her heart stopped for a moment as she quickly tried repositioning her fingers a few times, but the result was still the same. No pulse.

Springing into action, Naomi pulled open Rila's over-jacket and began probably one of the only first pieces of first aid she really knew. Interlocking her hands, she placed them on Rila's chest and began the initial first compressions. She was part way through the fourth compression when Rila moved beneath her. Naomi instantly moved her hands away as Rila coughed violently, water spilling down her cheeks. Knowing that the last thing they needed was the water entering Rila's lungs again, she pulled her up into a sitting position. She rubbed Rila's back as she continued to cough the water out of her lungs.

Once her lungs were clear Rila slowly moved up, still in a slight daze. She frowned at Naomi and mumbled, "Reed?"

A smile lit up across Naomi's face and before Rila could say anymore Naomi had pulled her into a gentle but tight embrace. Rila went from dazed to sudden surprise as Naomi buried her face in her shoulder.

"I thought I'd lost you," Naomi muttered as she continued to hold Rila close. While normally Rila would have remained stiffened, she felt herself relax (a privilege she only truly gave to those she held dear). She had to admit she was grateful for the embrace, partly for the kindness it projected to her, partly just for the general body heat that she provided her with.

"Reed," Rila mumbled eventually, her gaze seemed more focussed now and oddly soft. She gently pushed the happy inventor away from her. Naomi took the hint and pulled away but a small smile was still present on her lips.

Rila gazed at her for a moment, piecing together what had happened before the big dark gap in her memory. It had been Naomi who had brought them down here in the first place. Something had sparked Naomi to slip out of her lab and sneak to the transporter room along with Artemis. Rila hadn't been able to get the details out of them when she had followed behind. Rila had protested greatly when she learnt that Naomi planned to beam down to the surface alone down to the planet's surface, while Artemis remained in the transporter room waiting for communication from Naomi to beam her up again. Naomi and Artemis had managed to clear the room of staff before proceeding with their plan. At first her protests were to get Naomi to stop the insane mystery mission but Naomi hadn't exactly made it easy for her. This resulted in Rila accompanying her instead. While it would have been simpler to just knock out the inventor, Rila unfortunately didn't have the man-power or the sedatives on her to do so. Plus when she had tried to grab the attention of other staff by the transporter room Naomi had silenced her and dragged her onto the transporter pad. So had begun the two's reluctant quest to the snowy planet below.

Rila had tried getting some kind of explanation out of Naomi, she evaded an answer. Instead Naomi had proceed to reassure the doctor that they'd be back on the Enterprise before anyone noticed them missing (as it an empty transporter room with one single android in wouldn't attract attention).

Once they had reached the surface, Naomi began leading them through the snow hill landscape on the planet. Rila had trudged after her with a frown of pure annoyance on her face. It was on one of these particular hills where everything went wrong.

A sudden jolt of the earth under their feet was the first thing to alert them to an oncoming danger. The next was the overflowing levels of snow, rolling down the mountain towards them. Naomi had called out a simple "Run!", before the two of them waddled quickly through the deep snow as humanly possible.

Rila didn't really remember much after that, aside from the sudden shock of the cold depths of the water as she had begun her struggle for air. She gazed down at her open overcoat with some confusion, and then it dawned on her. Naomi must have pulled it open to administer first aid after dragging her to the shore. Naomi Reed had saved her life.

"Naomi," Rila mumbled, pausing for a moment as she looked at Naomi in stunned surprise.

Naomi gazed up at her meeting her gaze.

"You—you saved my life?" Rila statement ended almost like a question as the uncertainty entered her voice.

"Of course I did," Naomi answered quickly as if the mere idea of another option was impossible to her.

Rila gaze widened at her and she stammered out, "You- you did that for me? Why would you do that for me?"

A quick flash of what Rila could only describe as hurt entered Naomi's eyes. Rila felt a pang of guilt; it hadn't been her intention to offend her.

"Yes I did that for you," Naomi eventually answered, the hurt now gone from her gaze and replaced with warmth, "Why do you think I wouldn't?"

Rila began to answer "I thought-" but she didn't know how to continue her sentence.

"Rila just because we had a bit of a… 'disagreement' over this little expedition…" Naomi started.

Rila felt herself mentally scoff, _'Disagreement my arse!'_

"It doesn't change my reasons," Naomi continued, she then moved her hand placing it on Rila's shoulder. Rila tensed quickly at the gesture gazing at Naomi with uncertainty.

"You're my friend Rila, there's nothing that I wouldn't do for you," Naomi said as if she was simply stating the weather outside.

Rila froze. The term 'friend' Rila didn't really associate herself be referred to as very often. It wasn't that she didn't want friends, it was just that Rila didn't really showcase a soft side to many people. She often wore a very professional mask with her crew mates and didn't really see herself as anyone's friend. Baring Captain James T Kirk, who had been almost like an older brother to her since they were small children, and Doctor Leonard McCoy, who had broken down her walls managing to open up a softer side to her.

Now sat before her, Naomi Reed, the very woman who had saved her life, was calling her a friend. Rila wasn't sure how to react. True the two of them had spent some significant time together, more so due to Naomi's clumsy mishaps, but were they really friends?

Rila thought back to the moments they had shared together. They had eaten together, made conversation when Rila was patching Naomi up and even laughed together. A strange sense of what Rila could only describe as happiness bubbled up inside her. Naomi was in fact Rila's friend and despite her annoyance at being stuck on this frozen planet, she was actually somewhat glad to have the inventor by her side.

Rila was suddenly alerted to their still present life-threatening situation as her body went from mild shivering to a quick jolt of a violent shiver that didn't forebode well. She looked at Naomi who was also continuing to shiver. Their soaked clothing wasn't exactly aiding their situation, but they couldn't exactly change to something drier and warmer. For one they didn't have any clothes to change into and two the temperature was far too cold for them to risk exposing much flesh.

Rila didn't mean to hurt Naomi further but they were in danger and conversation could wait, "We need to get warm soon or we're going to start hitting hypothermia."

Naomi nodded, hiding her hurt at Rila's quick dismal of her declaration of friendship. After all even she had to agree the danger of freezing to death was a bit more of a priority. Moving her hand away from Rila's shoulder she wrapped her arms round herself, quickly become fully aware of the freezing temperatures. Rila followed suit as she zipped her jacket back up. Despite it being soaked it still provided her with some kind of warmth. She then proceeded to shakily get to her feet, Naomi doing the same.

"Maybe if we start moving we'll warm up a bit," Naomi suggested. Rila nodded, a little exhausted to voice a reply. The two of them began to continue to trudge their way through the snow. Rila tucked her arms around herself, trying to calm down her insane level of shivering. She quickly glanced at Naomi who was also continuing to shiver as they trudged through the snow.

Naomi's face was a picture of someone lost in deep thought. When she looked around the snowy landscape before her she was completely thrown. Thanks to their little dive in the river Naomi now had no idea where they were or even which direction her destination was in.

Rila noticed this and asked simply, "What is it?"

Naomi let out a sigh through gritted teeth, "I think we're lost…"

Rila furrowed her brow as turned her gaze away, "Fantastic…"

Naomi pulled one of her arms away from her body as she unzipped the jacket pocket. Rooting around inside the pocket, she pulled out her communicator. She hoped the insulated pocket had protected in from the water and temperature. Flipping it open she took her chance.

"Artemis its Naomi," she raised her voice slightly, as a strong gust of freezing wind swept past them. Her attempt at communication with her beloved android was met with an unhealthy sounding static.

"Artemis!" Naomi tried raising her voice louder but again just static.

"Shit!" Naomi grumbled as she threw the communicator back into her pocket.

"I take it coms are down?" Rila raised an eyebrow at her.

"What was your first clue!?" Naomi snapped before trudging on ahead. Rila stopped in her tracks for a moment gazing after her as Naomi radiated with rage. She sighed before making large strides to catch up.

The two continued to trudge aimless through the snow in silence. At times Rila had wanted to ask if wandering around blindly would really help with their 'lost in the freezing wilderness' problem. But she had chosen to remain quiet as Naomi seemed to be gathering in frustration by the minute. The last thing she needed was to have that bomb explode in her face. While the exercise brought some welcoming heat to her body, Rila knew they couldn't last like this much longer. Her body was already becoming sick with fatigue, and while Naomi hadn't mentioned anything Rila could see the signs as clear as day on her face. Rila would give anything now to be curled up in a nice warm bed (possibly with a certain handsome doctor beside her) and sleep for a century. Heck if she could she'd curl up and sleep right here and right now. But that would only ensure her demise. However she couldn't deny that they needed to stop and rest to conserve some energy or they'd risk collapse in the snow where death would surely claim them. It wasn't the only alarming factor that had been brought to Rila's attention. The wind was slowly picking up as the minutes passed and the sky was becoming a sea of clouds. A storm was brewing and if they wanted to survive they needed to find shelter.

Refusing to remain silent any longer Rila called out, "Naomi!"

Naomi stopped in time with Rila turning to face her.

"We need to find shelter and soon," she pointed up at the brewing storm clouds, "A storm's coming and if we stay out here when it hits… well let's just say we certainly won't be seeing the Enterprise."

Naomi's rage and frustration soon bubbled away. She nodded, "Alright, we better hurry if we want to miss this storm."

Rila nodded her response as the two of them began moving again. This time they strode with purpose as they began their search for shelter.

The freezing cold winds had begun to pick up greatly after the two had searched for what felt like an hour. Said winds had begun to whip up the snow, causing them to cover their mouths and squint their eyes to navigate through the white wilderness. The storm was well and truly beginning. Rila had to plant her feet deeper in the snow with each step to keep herself from being blown away by the winds. She had to keep casting quick glances at Naomi to make sure she was still there. It was hard to tell where anything was in this bleak weather. The urgency to find shelter was becoming more and more apparent with each passing moment.

"Naomi do you see anything?!" Rila called out, trying her best to not let any snow enter her already numb and trembling body.

"No nothing!" Naomi called back. Despite the two of them being right next to each other it was the only way they could hear each other over the howling wind.

"Wait!" Naomi placed her hand out in front of Rila as she stopped. Rila halted as instructed as she frowned at Naomi.

"Look over there!" Naomi pointed off to their right. Rila followed the direction of her hand and spotted what Naomi had discovered. Set into one of the hillsides was what appeared to be a small cavern that would provide them with the shelter they needed. Naomi and Rila exchanged glances before setting their sights on their destination and beginning to trudge through the snow once more.

Naomi let out a deep, long, shaky and misty breath of relief as they entered the cave. She was glad to finally be out those blustering winds. Rila followed after her, glancing around the cave. Feeling far too sick and exhausted to bare another minute of standing, she quickly moved from the entrance. Picking a spot at the back of the cavern she slid down the wall, curling herself up into a protective ball as she shivered.

Naomi watched her with a certain level of concern. That ghostly pale look was present on her face once more and she was shivering violently.

"Rila," Naomi begun catching Rila's attention as she looked up, "You really don't look so good… are you okay?"

Rila furrowed her brow as if to say _'Are you really asking that question?' _

Naomi sighed, "Right stupid question…"

The two went into silence for a moment before Rila looked up her once more.

"You don't look so good yourself Naomi…" Rila started as she gazed at her with a deep level of concern Naomi hadn't seen in her gaze before. She had to admit she was a little thrown.

"Hey I wasn't the one who drowned. I'm fine just cold," Naomi replied, brushing off her concern.

Rila shook her head, "Naomi you were in that water for the same amount of time as me, and you're bound to be feeling the effects…. Besides your lips have turned blue…"

"What?" Naomi's gaze widened as she touched her gloved fingers to her lips, "They have?"

Rila nodded as she gazed at her.

Naomi furrowed her brow, that was another sure fire sign she was on her way to hypothermia. She rolled her eyes in frustration. Great, if they survive this McCoy was defiantly going to give her one hell of an earful. Rila must have thought the same as she shuffled over slightly and patted the floor next to her.

Naomi frowned with a hint of sarcasm in her tone, "Wow. Is Rila Kirza really the first one suggesting we huddle for warmth?"

Rila rolled her eyes, "Please don't pull a James, Naomi! I swear you two are far too alike for your own good…"

"Wait really? Me and Jim are alike?" Naomi asked with her eyebrows raised.

"Yes you are! Anyway is that really the pressing issue here?" Rila almost snapped as she patted the floor impatiently beside her.

"I guess not," Naomi mumbled. She took the hint as she walked over, sitting down beside Rila.

"So… erm…" Naomi began as she gazed at Rila uneasily.

Rila looked at her, the same kind of uneasy at their close proximity present in her gaze.

"So how do we do this?" Naomi asked, shuffling her legs up to her chest copying Rila's position.

Rila took a deep breath as she pushed herself over to Naomi so their sides were touching. She then moved her head resting it on Naomi's shoulder.

"Something like this I suppose," Rila mumbled trying to unease the tension out of her body.

Unlike Rila, Naomi began to relax as she twisted her body closer to Rila. She finished her twitching as she rested her head on top of Rila's head. Rila froze for a moment as Naomi nuzzled her head on top of hers. After a few moments Rila felt herself relax, the warmth of Naomi next to her pulling her into a sense of safety. She let out a deep breath, as she felt her eyes lids become heavy. She only needed to close her eyes for a moment, it'd be fine right? Of course it would be fine. It would just be for a second…

Naomi stared out at the storm in silence, her body becoming more numb by the second. Her thoughts drifted to the Enterprise and the crew who were becoming very dear to her indeed. Even if she wasn't so sure if they thought the same about her, Naomi still cared for them. They had treated her with kindness, but given her criminal history Naomi really didn't know if she had earned their trust. They had been the reason she had come down here in the first place. She couldn't simply rely on them taking her word, instead she'd chosen action. Before she could allow her mind to wander any further Naomi turned her gaze back to Rila. For the second time that day Naomi felt her heart stop. Rila's skin had turned even paler since the last time she looked, her lips a pure blue now and if it wasn't for the every so often small mist coming out her mouth she wouldn't be able to tell she was breathing. Naomi tried to move her arm to shake the doctor gently, but her limbs felt frozen in place. It would seem Rila was right, the cold had had more of an effect on her than she first thought.

"Rila," Naomi mumbled, her vocals chords being the only muscles she could use. They were going to freeze to death. This was it. They were dead.

Rila didn't answer her.

"Please Rila wake up," Naomi muttered trying to keep the despair out of her voice as she felt her own eyelids struggling to stay open. They couldn't die like this. Not here.

"Rila, please- please wake up," Naomi whimpered as she continued her fight for consciousness.

Still Rila didn't reply.

"Please Rila don't leave me here, not like this…." Naomi trailed off as her vision blurred completely. The minutes that passed afterwards proceed with Naomi blinking half closed, blurred eyes at the world around her. She didn't know how long this went on for, but her hearing was beginning to tell her the storm had begun to calm down. Her vision continued to blur, each eye opening movement becoming slower and slower.

Her ears perked up when she heard voices but the rest of her body remained in a frozen stasis.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"This is where the signal is coming from, they're down here somewhere!"

"You better be right Jim."

"Of course I'm right."

Naomi then heard footsteps as her eyelids nearly slid all the way shut, leaving her with only a slit of blurred vision.

"Captain!"

"Spock! Did you find something?"

"I believe I've found the source of the signal."

The footsteps became louder as someone entered the cave.

"Naomi! Rila!" Naomi recognised the voice of James T Kirk anywhere. She felt herself mentally smile as she thought _'They're here Rila. They're here to take us home.'_

Jim Kirk hadn't been best pleased when he had heard about Naomi's little off worldly adventures. Especially when a concerned Artemis had brought the news to his attention when she had lost communication with not only Naomi but Rila too. Despite his anger he believed Naomi had her reasons and kept the whole situation on a need to know basis. He hadn't been planning to explore the surface for another day but he leapt into action when he learnt of the danger. Knowing Naomi and her knack for getting into trouble (that McCoy had often compared to Jim's similar knack for the same thing) he had decided to take both his chief medical and first officer with him to the surface once the storm had passed. It would appear he'd been right in bringing McCoy with him when Spock brought to his attention the small cavern.

When he found Naomi and Rila curled up at the back looking like death, he was immediately drawn to their side.

"Naomi, Rila. It's me, it's Jim. Can you hear me?" he tried to keep the panic out of his voice. His panic begun to escalate once he placed his hands on their bodies. They were trembling and soaked to the bone. He gulped as he turned his head calling over his shoulder, "Bones! I need you in here now!"

"I'm coming as fast as-" McCoy started to grumble before he fell silent when he entered the cave. He stalled for a moment, before he strode inside with new found speed.

He stopped when he reached Naomi and Rila. He crouched down, virtually pushing Jim aside to get to his patients. Falling into medical mode, he opened up his medical bag. He'd packed all the essentials he could think of to treat any freezing weather related aliments but he hadn't been truly prepared for this. He knew just by gazing at the two of them that their bodies were beginning to shut down, if they didn't act fast they would lose them. Every second counted.

He pulled out his scanner, proceeding with an initial scan. Their pulses were weak and continuing to spark at dangerously low levels.

He handed the scanner to Jim, "Keep an eye on their pulses any changes you tell me, got it?"

Jim nodded, taking the scanner from McCoy not needing any further instruction.

McCoy turned back to his patients, making note of their damp clothing. No wonder their vitals had dropped so damn low so quickly! He needed to get them out of that damn clothing, or at least for now their large overcoats.

Quickly turning his attention to the Vulcan behind him, he barked an order, "Spock I need a hand here. We need to get them out of their damp coats."

Spock nodded, "Of course Doctor," before kneeling down beside him. Between the two of them they managed to pry Naomi and Rila apart before gently unzipping and removing their coats. McCoy then urged Spock to put the two of them close together again to conserve the body heat the two of them were still sharing. Once Naomi and Rila were side by side again, McCoy proceeded to wrap them in layers of emergency blankets he had packed in his medical bag. He paused for a moment his eyes drifting across the two of them. Their chalky features were keeping him on the edge. He needed to get them back to Enterprise. He needed them safe.

"Bones," Jim's cry pulled him out of his brief thoughts. McCoy quickly turned his attention to the young Captain.

"Naomi's pulse, it's starting to spark up again," Jim informed McCoy handing him the scanner to look at. McCoy took the scanner and frowned.

"Her pulse is building up too quick..." he grumbled as he pushed the scanner back into Jim's hands. Pushing himself closer to Naomi he placed his fingers on her neck. Her pulse was beginning to race underneath his fingertips. While he would have been happy that Naomi's pulse was finally no longer weak, the quickened and uneven pace worried him. He cast his gaze up at Naomi's face and for the first time since he arrived at their sides he noticed her eyes were still ever so slightly open. She must be still conscious. Dipping his hand back into the bag he pulled out a small light.

"Naomi. Can you hear me?" he asked as he pulled her eyelids open shining the light inside to get a better look. Naomi let out a groan under her breath, the bright light becoming a slight discomfort to her. Naomi wasn't only conscious but she was fully aware of what was happening judging by how quickly her pupils contracted at the sudden change in light. Jim glanced up when he heard Naomi groan, frowning.

"Come on Naomi, that's it," McCoy gently tapped her face trying to urge her to open her eyes. Naomi groaned again, recoiling away slightly.

"Is she conscious?" Jim asked, glancing between Naomi and the scanner still in his hand.

"She is to some extent," McCoy answered Jim before turning back to his patient, "Come on Naomi, some me those perky brown eyes of yours."

"Eugh," Naomi groaned as she opened her eyes a few fractions. She was met with double vision and blurred out figures but she instantly recognised them.

"You- you fo-und us," she muttered a small smile of relief turning up the corners of her lips. She groaned again her eyes nearly slipping all the way shut, "Head—warm—why- warm-"she grumbled under her breath in discomfort.

McCoy frowned then turned his hand over placing the back of his hand on Naomi's forehead. Her head felt like the beginnings of boiling pot of water. She was burning up.

"Shit," McCoy almost cried out loudly.

Jim raised his eyebrows up in concern, "What is it?"

"She's running a fever," McCoy mumbled then raised his voice up to a more audible level, "We need to get them out of here and up to the ship now."

Jim nodded in understanding passing the scanner back to McCoy who fiercely threw it back in the bag along with the rest of his equipment. McCoy then proceeded to move Naomi and Rila apart, as much as Rila needed the heat from Naomi it would be easier to carry them out of the cavern separately. It was only because Jim was closer and he wanted to save as much time as possible, that he urged the Captain to carry Rila. Jim complied, lifting up the small woman with a high level of gentleness. He then followed after Spock out of the cavern. McCoy scooped Naomi up in his own arms before following after them. As soon as he had stepped outside to meet Jim and Spock, McCoy was greeted with the all too familiar swirling lights around him. Naomi wriggled in his arms slightly, she felt the heat of the swirling lights and smiled. _'We're going home Rila'. _

"Ugh," Naomi groaned raising a hand to her face. Her head was swirling all over the place and it was a sensation Naomi had become a little unsettlingly familiar with. Naomi battled against the darkness of her mind as she forced her eyes open. She blinked rapidly as the bright lights entered her eyes. The familiar smell of sterile bed sheets and bleeping machines grounded Naomi into a sense of security. When her vision finally adjusted Naomi began to glance around. She certainly was lying in the Enterprise's med bay just like she had pictured. Drifting her gaze further, she fell upon the bed next to her. Rila Kirza was lying there in a state of pure comfort. Her long hair was spread out like butterfly's wings across the pillows and her chest rose and fell in a steady motion. Naomi let out a small breath of relief. She was going to be okay. Naomi closed her eyes once more smiling. They were safe. They were home.

She opened her eyes once more as she heard a raised voice. Glancing over Naomi spotted McCoy with his back to her, stood over by his desk. He was leaned over his terminal, speaking into the coms unit.

"What did you except? Of course they're gonna ask questions, do expect them to just sit there and not wonder what the hell is going on?" Naomi heard McCoy snap down the com unit.

She pushed herself up quietly to listen more to their conversation, waiting.

"No of course not, I just…" Jim's voice rattled over the com unit.

"Just you thought you could shy Reed away from scrutiny and suspicion? I hate to tell you this but she brought on herself when she decided to sneak off the ship in the first place!"

Naomi froze, remembering that despite their current safety Naomi didn't know how long that would last for her. She thought of Jim, the Captain who had befriended her and thought of the look of disappointment that would be present in his gaze when she next met him. The mere thought of it shattered her heart and turned her stomach into a pit of guilt. It hadn't been her intention to betray his trust, but she felt as if she had been left with little choice.

"You think I don't know that!" Jim practically yelled down the coms, the hurt and anger clearly present in his voice.

Naomi gulped, the guilt creeping up her spine.

McCoy remained silent for a moment before Jim continued.

"Look just let me know when she's healthy and ready to talk. Right now I need to get some answers and the only conscious person I can talk to is Artemis."

"You think she's really going to tell you what is going on?"

"It's worth a try."

Naomi mentally cursed, she needed to get to Artemis before Jim did. If she didn't provide Artemis with the go ahead to come clean, that would just further their guilt and land them in deeper trouble. Slowly, making sure not to catch the attention of the Chief Medical officer as he continued his conversation, Naomi slipped her legs over the edge of the bed. She then carefully yanked the IV drip out of her hand and pulled the pulse monitors off her chest. Keeping her eyes fixed on McCoy, Naomi shakily got to her feet. Quickly, Naomi reached her hand back to steady herself. She felt dizzy and sick. Ignoring the feelings, she crouched down and proceeded to make her way towards the med-bay exit.

She scouted around the various equipment and furniture in the med-bay making sure she stayed out of sight. Glancing around she noticed McCoy must be the only one present in the med-bay. She presumed she must have been out for most of the day. Luckily the Enterprise was still safe. She still had her chance. She watched McCoy closely, with every moment she made towards the door. If he turned around now he would surely spot the empty bed and find her in no time. She held her breath as she silently darted across the med-bay making it to the right side of McCoy's desk. To her advantage, he was too engrossed in his discussion with Jim to even notice. Naomi peered up at the doctor, they were within inches of each other now. She waited there with baited breath. She was beginning to debate whether to make a mad dash for the door, when her ears perked once more.

"Captain," Naomi heard the voice of Nyota Uhura seep through the coms unit.

"Yes Lieutenant?" Jim answered his voice slightly distant now. Naomi pictured him swivelling round in his command chair to face her.

"Sir, we're being hailed," Uhura's voice seeped through the coms once more.

Hailed? Naomi's body turned to stone. No, no she couldn't be too late. Could she?

"Hailed?" McCoy questioned, "There's no ships out here! Who the hell could be hailing us?"

"I don't know Bones, just keep an eye on Reed and Kirza, and I'll keep you posted," with that Jim closed the com unit before McCoy could reply.

McCoy let out a disgruntled sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. Naomi took her chance, darting for the door quickly before McCoy had chance to open his eyes again. Once she made it into the corridor, Naomi had to hold onto the wall to prevent herself from slipping under again. Focussing her vision and letting out a small grunt she pushed off, sprinting down the corridor in an uneven line. Determination was in her gaze, she had to get to the bridge.

McCoy frowned, opening his eyes quickly. He could have sworn he'd just heard something… like soft scuttling. He paused for a moment, the frown still present on his brow. He then shrugged and turned, it was time to check up on his patients. It was once he had turned around that he found himself swearing loudly and then running out the med-bay after his missing patient.

"On screen Lieutenant," Jim said to Uhura before swirling back to front of the ship. He waited with baited breath as he listened to Uhura tapping away at her station. The next thing that happened, well took him by surprise.

"Stop! Uhura no!" Naomi leapt out of the turbo-lift, not even bothering to ask permission to enter the bridge. She ran to Uhura's station, throwing her hands down stopping the startled Communications officer.

"Reed, wha-" Uhura started, looking up at the women stood next to her. Naomi was dressed in a white hospital gown, her brown hair was ruffled and she was panting hard.

"Don't open the coms! She can't see who you are, she can't!" Naomi interrupted Uhura, shouting loudly.

"Naomi, what the hell are you doing?" Jim stepped up from his command chair, turning to her and demanding an answer.

Naomi looked towards him and for the first time since she had entered the bridge, she noticed everyone was staring at her.

She gulped and meet Jim's gaze. His expression was unreadable, which to her was unusual. She could normally gather Jim's mood by his posture and expression, but the gaze he was giving her now unnerved her.

"Jim, you have to listen to me," Naomi began.

"Listen to you?" Jim's expression changed, the anger now present in his features.

Naomi swallowed her words for a moment, the Captain before her looked ready to explode.

"Reed!" Naomi's attention was drawn back to another arrival on the Bridge.

McCoy was panting and his brow was furrowed in annoyance. "Reed, you shouldn't be up here," McCoy cried, "Now come on I'm taking you back to med-bay."

McCoy placed his hand on Naomi's shoulder. She shook him off instantly, refusing to move.

"Reed you're in no fit state to be running around the ship, now come on!" McCoy was more persistent this time.

Naomi ignored him, "Jim listen to me, you cannot answer that hail!"

"And why not Ms Reed?" Spock asked, seemingly generally curious.

"Because she'll blast you out of the sky," Naomi replied.

Jim frowned.

"Listen, maybe if I talk to her I can work something out that doesn't involve… conflict," Naomi continued.

Jim paused for a moment, looking at her puzzled. He could see the urgency and alarm in her gaze as well as the clouding weakness. Shaking his head he gave in, "Alright… but this is your only and last chance."

Naomi nodded, before she moved her hands away from Uhura's station. She then walked down the steps to the front of the bridge, stopping in front of the main screen.

Jim gave Uhura a small nod before walking down to stand a little way behind Naomi. Uhura responded to the nod by bringing up the hail on the front screen.

They were greeted by a face all too familiar to Naomi. Her once blonde hair was fading now to a crispy white. Her face looked young but experienced and her green eyes held firm with Naomi's brown.

"Well, well, well what do we have here?" she sneered gazing at Naomi in amusement.

"Minty," Naomi nodded her head at the woman.

"It's been a long time," Minty smiled smugly as she leaned back in her chair. Her green eyes fixed on Naomi briefly, before they began to dance over the rest on the bridge her stare becoming increasing colder.

"So you've decided to team up with the Federation have you? Wow… and here was me thinking you couldn't fall any lower," Minty almost growled, her gaze turning murderous.

"Look Minty, let's just cut to the chase. I know you've got enough fire power on that planet to rip this whole ship apart… but you need to remember one simple reason why you can't," Naomi answered sharply. She sounded far more confident and stronger than she actually felt.

"Yeah, and what's that girly?" Minty asked, a smirk on her face.

"You owe me," Naomi stated.

Minty's smirk faded and she frowned almost in annoyance, "That may be true girly… but one slight problem with your little plan."

Naomi raised an eyebrow.

"That deal only cuts it with you and that little android of yours, not your young strapping crew mates here," Minty moved her hand across the bridge crew as if she was introducing a group to a stage.

"What?" Naomi cried. She should have seen it coming, Minty was always a tough one to bargain with. Even more so given her hatred for the Federation.

"I saved your neck! You owe big time Minty!" Naomi snapped in frustration.

Minty scoffed, "Like I said before, I owe 'you' not your like law-abiding friends here. Now I'm willing to be reasonable here. I'll give you chance to pack you and your android up and outta there before I blast this ship to high hell."

"And if I refuse?" Naomi dared to ask.

"Well then I guess I'm going to have to break my streak of holding onto debts," Minty answered slyly.

Naomi almost growled. She had to think, she needed a plan. She had to offer Minty something, something big in return for sparing the Enterprise. She puzzled it over.

'_Come on Naomi think! There has to be something you can offer her!'_

Minty's face broke into a smirk, she seemed to be enjoying making Naomi and the rest of the bridge crew squirm. She chuckled for a moment, causing Naomi to frown.

"Alright girly, here's the thing," Minty spoke up once more, "You've caught me in a very generous mood. I'm willing to spare this ship."

Naomi felt a small smile of relief begin to curl on her lips.

"However I have one condition," Minty rose a finger in front of her face.

"And what is that?" Jim spoke up for the first time since Minty appeared.

Minty turned her gaze to Jim, that amusement from earlier present in her eyes, "Well Captain that condition involves you."

Jim raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"You will owe me a favour," Minty grinned at Jim.

"A favour? What would this favour involve?" Jim asked, his brow furrowed in a mixture of worry and intrigue.

"Honestly I can't say right now. But when the time comes you'll know," Minty replied. She paused then continued, "That's my only offer where you fly out of here Captain. You either take it or I blast you out of the sky. Your call."

Jim grimaced in uncertainty. He couldn't really leave himself indebted to a criminal, however he couldn't really risk the potential that this Minty may destroy his ship and kill his crew.

"Captain."

Jim turned back to his first officer, Spock.

"I wouldn't recommend leaving ourselves indebted to a criminal," Spock stated, gazing at Jim.

Jim sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment.

"However," Spock continued, leaving Jim raising an eyebrow, "If there is any truth in the scale and nature of her threat, we may not be left with much choice."

"Wow Commander, are you really recommending that we leave ourselves indebted to a criminal?" Jim raised his eyebrow in surprise. Each day he began to get more and more of a reminder of how much his dancing around the rules actions were brushing off on his first officer. While Spock still tended to stick to the rules and logic in most of his decisions, he begun to show that on occasion he was willing to bend the rules.

"It is just merely a suggestion if the threat is believable," Spock replied.

Jim frowned and turned to look at Naomi just as she began to turn back to them. Their eyes meet and Jim felt the familiar pang in his stomach that he always had when he looked at her. Despite his anger and frustration with her, he finally began to understand why Naomi had disappeared in the first place. She must have been heading down to Minty, knowing full well of her hatred of the Federation and planned to make a negotiation on the Enterprise's behalf. Jim was still angry and a little betrayed by her deception, but he found himself understanding why. Just by looking in her eyes, he knew how real the threat was. This left him with only one decision.

Turning his gaze back to Minty, he nodded, "Alright. You've got yourself a deal."

Minty clapped her hands together in triumph, "That is excellent news Captain." She paused and smiled, "Well then, I'll be in touch."

With that the hailed was ended and a silent sigh of relief breezed through the bridge. McCoy furrowed at Jim, ready to speak his mind when he was alerted back to his patient.

After the ordeal was over Naomi felt her strength leave her. Her knees buckled and she had to slam her hand down hard on the console behind her to stop herself from falling. She mumbled an apology to the startled Chekov, and blinked as she tried to regain both her vision and her strength.

"Reed," McCoy grumbled as he rushed down to her, Jim following in his wake. The two of them wrapped each of her arms around the back of their necks, before she could even protest. They then proceeded to carry her to the turbo-lift. If had taken all strength to stay upright during her talk with Minty, but now that strength was gone. They entered the turbo-lift and began the journey back to med-bay.

"Jim," Naomi mumbled turning to gaze at him.

Jim turned to gaze at her, "Naomi, look we'll talk about all this later when you're feeling better. Okay?"

Despite the anger that was still present in his voice, his gaze was gentle. She found herself nodding as she allowed McCoy and Jim to gentle carry her without protest back to med-bay.

Naomi felt herself looking at her bare feet. She was sat upright in one of the med-bay beds, still dressed in a white medical and feeling a little woozy. She had not long awoken for a long 12 hour rest and it had only been a mere few minutes since Jim had left. Their talk had been a lot calmer than Naomi had expected. Not once did Jim raise his voice at her. He had clearly expressed his anger and concern at her impulsive and careless decision. He had suspended her from any away mission for two months and merely given her a warning to inform him if anything like this cropped up again. Naomi couldn't deny she'd gotten off easy. But it was Jim's last words that still lingered in her mind.

"_Naomi, you need to stop treating this like you and Artemis are a two man army against the world._ _You're part of a team now, a family." _

A family? She never thought of the crew like that before. I mean she cared about them, sure. But she had never thought she even deserved a family again. She remained sat there in silence, until a voice pulled her out.

"Naomi."

Naomi looked up, meeting the gaze of Rila Kirza. Her long hair was flowing down her back and her face was full of healthy colour once more.

"Rila," Naomi found herself smiling up at the thin doctor, who began to perch herself down on the edge of Naomi's bed.

"How are feeling?" Naomi asked her.

"Better," Rila paused gazing at Naomi, "A lot better than you by the looks of it."

Naomi shrugged.

"I heard what James said to you… and well as rare as it is, I must say I agree with him," Rila continued.

Naomi raised an eyebrow.

"You have to remember now Naomi. You are part of team and that means we all pitch in, not dashing off on our own adventures."

Naomi looked down at her feet once more. If Rila was here to give her another lecture, she really didn't need it.

"Look Naomi," Rila gently placed her hand on her shoulder, "I'm not here to give you another lecture. I'm here… to thank you."

Naomi looked up at her puzzled, "Thank me? I thought you were still pissed that I dragged you down there in the first place…"

"Oh believe me I am and you will know about it very soon," Rila smirked then her gaze turned serious, "Look Naomi. You saved my life and… I wanted to thank you for that."

Naomi remained looking puzzled then broke into a smile, "You're very welcome."

Rila nodded also smiling, "Hmm it's funny, every time I thought about coming over here I was ready to snap. But when I actually got here, it just seemed to disappear…. I guess we must have a bond of some kind."

"A bond? What kind of bond?" Naomi found herself smirking.

"I think it's a bond that some would call friendship," Rila found herself saying with a smile. Despite the smirking, Rila meant every word. Naomi Reed was her friend and she'd been damned if she continued to deny that.


	7. Trekking Home for Christmas

_**Hey all! It's been some time since I've updated apologises for that, college kept me quite busy. Well I can only thank my good friend (and original creator of Rila Kirza) for the initial idea for this one. So here's a festive one to suit the Christmas season and hopefully bring you guys some smiles! I realised after writing this that there was some hints in one of the comic continuations that Winona may have passed away… but I so very much wanted to put her in this that I didn't have the heart to change it.**_

_**This one is intended to be set some fair time after the last few as in this one Naomi is now a Security Officer on the Enterprise. Oh and expect some feelsy and action-packed one-shots after this, you've kind of been warned ;) Don't forget, reviews give me valuable feedback! So don't hesitate to drop one! I'd love to hear what you all think (remember to keep it polite). Oh and thank you all so much for the favourites/follows so far, means a lot! Enjoy and hope you've all had wonderfully Christmases (or holidays if you don't celebrate) x**_

**Trekking Home for Christmas**

Her foot falls were placed down in direct sync with the motivating tunes that hit her ears. Each breath was even and paced as Naomi jogged along the quiet street. It was early, dark and cold but she didn't care. She was glad for the exercise and the time to herself without crowds of people that were assured to swarm the streets in the next few hours. It was Christmas Eve and the crew were stationed in London for some festive shore leave. While Naomi couldn't deny that Christmas was one of (if not her only) favourite holiday, she couldn't help but feel a little melancholy.

Her mind often drifted back to her younger years back on her home planet of Terra Nova. Drifting back to the Christmases when her older brother, William, would come running into her room shaking her awake. The two of them would then crash into their parents' bedroom, excitable and happy. They may not have had much to go all out for Christmas but it was the only guarantee Naomi had every year that her family would all be together. Before they died, Naomi's father and brother were thieves just like Naomi. It had been their way to earn money for her mother's expensive medicine. When they had died, Naomi had taken over at a mere age of ten with her freshly built android Artemis. That had all quickly changed with the death of Naomi's mother a few years back, leaving her only Artemis for family (well the only family she thought she had at the time).

While she had come to terms and made peace with her deceased family, Naomi still missed them. She missed the dinner her mother would spend all day preparing from whatever she could find in the house. She missed helping her father collect wood for the fire. She missed roasting marshmallows over that fire with her brother.

She slowed her pace, her feet sliding a little of the floor as she stopped running. Her gaze drifted around the empty streets, she could see lights beginning to come on as the population began to arise from slumber. Thinking back, she thought of the handsome Captain she had left curled up in bed. It was time to head back before he wondered where she'd got to. Glad to have the time to think of her beloved deceased family, it was time to focus on the family she had by her side now. A wide smile drifted over her lips before she picked up her pace once more heading back to the hotel where her 'family' resided.

Naomi slipped back into the warm depths of the hotel. She couldn't deny that she was glad to be in the warm again. She gave a small smile to the receptionist at the counter before making a heading to her room. Suddenly, she came to a halt in the doorway to the hotel's longue as familiar voices hit her ears. Her brow furrowed slightly as she turned on her heel, sliding gently to stand closer to the door and peering inside. The frown on her brow quickly disappeared when she instantly recognised the long haired and short stature before her that could only belong to her best friend. Placing her signature smirk on her lips Naomi strode inside.

"I must say I didn't expect you guys to be up this early," Naomi stopped just behind Rila, her arms folded.

Rila Kirza turned quickly, slightly startled by the sudden voice behind her, "Naomi? What are you doing down here?"

"Good morning to you too," Naomi mumbled still with a smirk, "I went out for a run, needed the fresh air. Thought I'd leave sleeping beauty to rest." She went from smirking to confusion when her gaze fell on Leonard McCoy. The Doctor in question was sat down behind Rila, he looked lost in thought, a small whiskey in his hand.

Naomi looked to Rila, slight concern in her gaze, "What's with him?"

Rila looked taken a back for a moment then the light bulb clicked, "Wait… James told you didn't him?"

Naomi frowned, "Told me what?"

Rila sighed rolling her eyes, before looking at Naomi with a serious tone, "We're going over my parents' house today."

"We? You mean as in you, Bones, Jim and me?"

"Yes Naomi I do. James' mother is going to be there as well."

"She is?" Naomi looked quite startled by the news before gazing over at Leonard, no wonder he had started on the drink a little early. Despite a few brief meetings, this would be his first time meeting the potential future in-laws. Naomi couldn't deny, she was tempted to join him. While she could say she'd spoken to Rila's parents a few times, she never even meet Jim's mother, Winona. He didn't speak of her much. It was clear the two of them had had some history, after all Naomi knew if she had meet Jim's Step Father she would have gladly spoken some choice words (possibly even some choice punches). His mother had eventually divorced him and selected to retire alone. Thinking about it that was all Naomi really knew of her. From what little she had taken from Jim, his childhood got a little messy in places (more so after his brother George left). There had been some time where he'd even gone without speaking to his mother. Eventually the two of them had reconnected and it appeared like they could finally be some kind of family again.

"I can't believe James didn't tell you…" Rila muttered, pulling Naomi quickly out of her thoughts.

"Yeah… maybe it slipped his mind," Naomi paused for a moment a cheeky smirk perching on the corners of her mouth once more, "I did keep him pretty well distracted last night."

Rila let out a small sigh and rolled her eyes.

"What? We're supposed to enjoy our shore leave aren't we?" Naomi chuckled as she patted Rila gently on the shoulder.

"Yes… we're supposed to," Rila casted a sympathising glance at Leonard, who was still quietly sipping his drink.

The three of them remained silent for a moment, until Naomi eventually broke it.

"Right well I better head back before he wonders where I got to," Naomi stated. Rila gave a small nod of acknowledgement before Naomi turned on her heel and left. 

The doorbell went off with a ting before a small jingle-bells-esque tune echoed through the house.

Leonard couldn't help but frown in slight amusement. Rila really hadn't been kidding when she said to expect Santa's grotto when they arrived. The garden was littered with various Christmas themed statues along with a line-up of all the famous reindeers. He was partly grateful that they weren't arriving in the middle of the evening, just by gazing at the lights they would have surely been blinded at the gates. Although he couldn't deny the sight would have been pretty impressive.

He gazed over at the others beside him. Rila was stood in front of the door; bag in hand with gifts for her parents. Her long hair was running free down her back. A thick black winter coat was wrapped so tightly around her; almost like she was the gift to be given instead of the items in the bag. Naomi was stood next to her looking a little less rough and tumble than usual. Instead of the tied up tangled hair style everyone was used to, Naomi was wearing her hair down and more surprising it had been curled. The usual soot patches that tended to linger on her nose and cheeks were nowhere in sight. Leonard couldn't help but notice that she had truly made an effort to make a decent impression. He could truly tell be the way that Jim couldn't keep his eyes off her (well more than usual) that it was paying off.

Jim looked far more relaxed and calmer than Leonard felt and Naomi looked. He shouldn't have been surprised. Jim and Rila had known each other since they were children. Jim had always been like an older brother to her, so he was no stranger to her house or her family.

"I still can't believe this is your family's house Rila! It's huge, you must be loaded!" Naomi exclaimed as she gazed up at the terrifying large house in front of her.

Rila couldn't help but chuckle at her friend's reaction. She had become so used to the building in front of her that she had forgotten how large the house actually was.

"Well we managed to afford the house alone for all the scholarship offers I received. My mother didn't have to pay a penny for my education," Rila replied to her friend.

"Wow. They didn't call you a child protégé for nothing," Naomi smiled in wonder at her friend.

Rila returned the smile, "I guess not…"

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth the front door swung open to reveal Rachel Kirza. Rachel looked almost the splitting image of her daughter, aside from the hair colour. Rila's was a light brown whereas her mother's was much more of a darker tone of the colour. She wore a plastic apron of the Christmas novelty as well as a beaming smile.

"Hello!" she cried out happily upon seeing her daughter, "Please, all of you come on in!"

Naomi couldn't help but be swept up in the happiness that radiated from her as she followed after Rila, Leonard and Jim.

Rachel quickly closed the door ensuring that no precious heat escaped. She then turned to her guests, still with the same beaming smile.

"Oh Rila, you haven't changed a bit my little girl," Rachel chimed happily as she pulled her daughter into a gentle embrace. Rila smiled widely as she returned the embrace, "It's good to see you too Mom."

Jim couldn't help but chime in, the cheeky grin already on his lips, "You're right there, she really hasn't changed. That was the only size coat she could get that fit and it still goes over her knees."

"_He had to pull the short jokes already," _Naomi thought to herself, shaking her head slightly. Although she couldn't help but notice that even Rila's parents towered over her in the prior times she'd seen them. She just guessed Rila Kirza was just born to be shorter than everyone around her.

Rachel chuckled as she pulled away from her daughter, turning to Jim, "You haven't changed a bit either have you James?"

Jim smirked, "Would you really want me to?"

Rachel smiled, "No I guess not." With those words she pulled Jim into a hug, which he returned with similar enthusiasm. Once they had pulled away, Rila turned to Leonard and Naomi.

"Leonard, Naomi, my mother Rachel. Mom, this is Naomi Reed and Leonard McCoy," Rila introduced them to each other.

Rachel beamed at the two of them, starting with Naomi first.

"Naomi, it's lovely to meet you my dear," Rachel also pulled her into a quick embrace, taking Naomi by some surprise.

Naomi gently patted the woman on the back in return, "It's nice to meet you too."

Rachel then turned to Leonard, "Hmm so you're the man who has taken to my daughter then? Well it's lovely to meet you at last."

She also pulled him into a quick embrace, her smile never leaving her lips.

Leonard relaxed a bit and nodded at the woman once she released her embrace, "And you Mrs Kirza."

Rachel shook her head at that, "Oh dear, Mrs Kirza was my mother-in-law. Please call me Rachel, that goes for you too Miss." She pointed at Naomi with a spark of amusement in her gaze.

Naomi smiled at her and nodded.

"Well, let me take your coats, I'm sure you still know your way to the living room Rila?" Rachel said, as she began taking her guests coats.

"Of course mom," Rila replied as she slipped off the large coat and handed it to Rachel. Leonard and Naomi both mumbled polite thanks as Rachel took their coats, before she disappeared into the next room.

There was a small silence for a moment before anyone made an attempt to move.

"Err, right well shall we?" Jim asked them as he turned to the group.

Rila nodded as she apprehensively took the lead to the living room.

The day that followed, well Naomi actually found to be quite enjoyable. Once arriving in the living room, Naomi and Leonard were swiftly reintroduced to Rila's father, Chris. Chris was a Starfleet Captain and like his daughter spent much of his time away from home. His demeanour and posture spoke very much of a formal and professional man, highlighting a polar opposite to his wife. Naomi had remembered the first time she had meet the man. While the meeting had been brief and under different circumstances, she always could instantly associate him with his daughter. Aside from their matching hair colours and some similar facial features, the two still maintained the level of posture of formality. While Naomi had quickly torn done those former walls of formality that surrounded Rila, Chris still had them up with both herself and Leonard. It wasn't that he was cold or unkind, he just didn't delve too personal with their conservations. Well not with her anyway. Naomi wasn't surprised by the questions Chris had for Leonard. He was just like any father would be when faced with their daughter's lover. He tried to be subtle, so as not to earn too many disgruntled looks from his daughter (or "Fal" as he called her, in reference to her middle name) but he couldn't be any more obvious. One particular exchange Naomi couldn't help but over hear.

"So the age difference between you and Fal, how many years is it?" Chris had asked.

"About six to seven years," Leonard had replied, looking slightly more and more intimidated by each second that passed.

"And you said you were married once?"

"That's correct sir."

Jim hadn't been able to hide the smirk from his face, until Rila had shot him a warming look of daggers.

Naomi had counted herself lucky with the questioning. Winona had quickly welcomed her son with open arms as soon as he entered the room. Naomi could tell by the look on her face that each moment she spent with her son was making up for lost time. The same look was reflected in her beloved captain's eyes. Jim had been quick to introduce Naomi to Winona with a very proud smile. Winona showed Naomi the same courtesy, also welcoming her with open arms. She quickly ushered Naomi and Jim to sit beside her, instantly wanting to know everything there was about Naomi Reed. Unlike Chris Kirza's questions for Leonard, Winona was much gentler. Naomi was so flattered that she had taken a firm interest in wanting to get truly get to know the girl, who could potential become her daughter-in-law someday. It was in one moment that Winona managed to provide Naomi with the biggest compliment of all, that made her feel so certain she would be proud to have Winona as her mother-in-law.

Most had left the room to help out with various things. Chris and Rila had gone to assist Rachel in the kitchen; Leonard and Jim were laying the table in the dining room. This had left Naomi and Winona alone.

"He must really love you," Winona had simply mumbled just loud enough for Naomi to hear.

"Sorry?" Naomi had asked her, a little confused by the statement.

"He must really love you because you are the first girl he's ever introduced me to," she had paused for a moment before continuing, "Well not the first girl… I mean… of course there was Rila but they were just friends… I mean…"

Naomi couldn't have helped but smile, "Its fine I understand what you mean."

Winona had smiled back at her before continuing, "He's so taken with you. I haven't seen him this happy in some time… thank you for that Naomi."

"I can't take all the credits for that, the crew are good to each other and to him… like a whole other family."

Winona's smile had widened further at that, "It's good to hear he has surrounded himself with people like that."

Naomi nodded before the two disappeared back into silence once more, smiles still present on both of their faces.

When it came to dinner Naomi was quite gobsmacked by the display of food. It wasn't due to the insane variety but more due to the sheer amount of food that had been placed in front of her. Rachel hadn't just prepared a dinner, she had prepared a feast. When Rachel declared them all to dig in she didn't once hesitate (after all it would be rude to refuse such a delicious smelling feast). After some choice laughter, plenty of digging in, drinking and a few more questionings for Leonard from Chris; it was finally time to leave.

"It was lovely to see you all," Rachel beamed at her guests who were back in their winter coats once more, ready to head out back in the winter temperatures, "And remember-"

"To stay in touch, I got the message mom," Rila finished her sentence, adding a small gentle retort.

Rachel just shook her head gently at her daughter, "You better have."

More goodbyes were issued between them, both Rila and the others stepped out back into the cold night of Christmas Eve. Jim was about to join them before he was stopped by gentle but firm hand on his arm. He turned instantly meeting Winona's soft gaze.

Winona moved her hand, placing it on the side of Jim's face. Her gaze was heavy with pride and love, "Take care out there Jimmy."

Jim paused for a moment gazing down at his mother, "I will. You take care too."

With that he pulled her into a gentle hug, no more words needing to be said. 

Christmas Day arrived at last and Naomi couldn't have been happier to spend it with her beloved crew mates. She had been awoken earlier than she'd have liked by Jim, but seeing the instant grin on his face had quickly snuffed out any annoyance at the early start. After all even she couldn't deny her excitement at the holiday.

They had gathered and meet with the rest of the crew on board the docked Enterprise to celebrate. Circling around the tables and chairs of the cafeteria, they had begun the gift exchanges. Naomi couldn't help but laugh at Scotty. Everyone had thought of the exact same thing when regarding the Scotsman… scotch. While Scotty was very thankful he couldn't help but joke that they appeared like they were about to hold some kind of intervention.

One particular present couldn't help but amuse her slightly immature mind. Rila had been the one to hand it to her and Naomi had taken it with a broad smile.

She had flipped over the tag and began to read it aloud, "To Jim and Naomi… use it… wisely?"

Naomi frowned in amusement at Rila and exchanged glances with Jim.

Jim smirked before chuckling, "Use it wisely, huh?"

Rila rolled her eyes at that, "Oh James get your mind out of the gutter and just open it!"

Jim did as he was told ripping open the gift. Inside was a med kit with a little more than just basic first aid requirements. Naomi couldn't help but burst out laughing. She couldn't deny that both her and Jim were often in the med-bay (Naomi probably more so…) a lot and not always to drop by for a visit. It was a trait the two shared that always seemed to be on the receiving end of some kind of joke. Regardless Naomi couldn't deny the kit would certainly come in handy.

The two of them thanked Rila and Leonard with amused expression as the festivities continued. Gifts were exchanged, drinks and food was shared along with jokes that had the crew in stitches.

There was one particular moment that nearly had Naomi's heart bursting with warmth.

"Oh that reminds me Naomi," Rila started as she stood.

Naomi looked up at her with a confused frown.

"I'll be right back," Rila said before disappearing from the room. The rest of the crew exchanged confused glances, even Leonard looked like he had no clue what was going on.

When Rila returned, she was hiding something behind her back.

"Look I know we haven't technically got a fire or anything to roost them on but I thought that maybe we could add it in as a revamped tradition," with that being said, Rila moved what was hidden behind her. In her hands was a large packet of plain marshmallows. Naomi's eyes widened in pleasant surprise, stunned by the thought and care Rila had put into the gesture.

"I remember you mentioning that you used to roost marshmallows over the fire, back home with your family on Christmas. I thought maybe you'd want to bring them back into tradition," Rila continued, the marshmallows still in her hands.

Struggling to find the right words to say Naomi simply expressed her deep emotions through her actions. Before Rila had chance to utter another word Naomi had quickly pulled her close. This time Rila was the one who was stunned. But unlike Naomi, Rila seemed to recover quickly her surprise melting away into pure affection. She returned the embrace to the woman she regarded as a sister, happy that she could make her Christmas a little brighter. 

Jim raised his arms above his head emitting a loud yawn. While the day had been a lazy one, he still felt shattered. As soon as he was within inches of the bed in his quarters he flopped down onto it without a second thought. The comfort was welcoming, his eyelids beginning to slip shut. He could fall asleep… right now he could just slip into soft sleep…

"Hey." he felt soft tapping on the edge of his foot. He ignored it, sinking deeper into covers.

"Hey!" the voice rose in tone as he felt a pillow collide with his head. Groaning he pulled himself up, glaring playfully at the beautiful brunette before him.

"You can't go to sleep just yet," Naomi stated with a cheeky grin on her face.

"And why's that?" Jim replied.

Naomi's grin widened as she held out her hands to him, inside her hands was a small square box, "Because you've still one last gift to open."

Jim frowned puzzled as Naomi gently placed the gift into his hand.

"I wanted to give it to you when it was just us, thought it would be a nice little surprise for you," Naomi explained as Jim began to undo the decorative ribbon. Once the ribbon was undone, he gently lifted off the lid. Inside was a round glass orb that had been mounted on a black metallic stand. His brow furrowed when he pulled it out for closer inspection.

"There should be a small scanner on the stand. Oh and it works better in the dark," Naomi continued.

"Okay…" Jim mumbled. He inspected the metallic stand, quickly locating the scanner that was large enough to accommodate a finger or thumb print. Before he touched his finger to it, he looked up calling out, "Lights 0%"

The lights quickly dimmed, leaving Naomi and Jim in darkness.

"Press it," Naomi urged, trying hard to hide the excitement in her voice.

Jim did as he was told, touching his fingerprint to the scanner. Almost instantly the glass orb came to life in his hand, lights of various colours shooting out across the room. It wasn't until they settled that Jim realised they were constellations and galaxies. He gazed around him in wonder. Despite how many times he had seen space, it never ceased to amaze him with its beauty. He looked to Naomi, the colours casting contrasting shadows across her face.

"Naomi what…" he was lost for words, slightly confused by the gift in his hand.

"It's not just a protector if that's what you're thinking," Naomi informed him. She paused for a moment before delving deeper into an explanation.

"It's interactive," she stated as she moved her hands enlarging a galaxy before Jim's eyes, before zooming down into a system that looked very familiar.

"You see you can select certain planets. Say Earth," Naomi continued as she gently touched the air where Earth was visible. Jim's familiar home planet zoomed up large in the centre of the room, before various information appeared around the planet.

"It's kind of like a visible guide to the universe. Well what we've found of it so far. You can also touch the top of the orb and add planets… Seen as we're explorers and all, I thought you could add planets and information about them as we go along. I mean I know we have official records and all… but I thought you might like something more personal to keep. Plus if you want to add any recent information to other planets and constellations you can edit the information already on there."

Jim sat there in silent for a moment, gazing at the spinning Earth in front of him in wonder.

"You made this?" he asked, his gaze still following the spinning Earth.

Naomi nodded at him. She watched him a little apprehensively.

"Err… do you like it?" Naomi asked him, after the two of them remained in silence for some time.

Jim stayed silent for a moment. He placed the orb down gently on the bed, letting the orb continue to project the Earth into the room. Reaching out he took Naomi's hands pulling he down gently to sit beside him. His deep blue eyes met her brown.

"Naomi… I can't believe you'd make something like this for me…" Jim smiled warmly at her, "I love it! Thank you so much."

With that he pulled her close and kissed her softly. Naomi returned the kiss happily as the Earth continued to spin above her head. She had to admit as her mind wondered into thought (while her lips continued to lock with Jim's) that this had been one of her best Christmases yet.


	8. What Might Surprise You About Rila Kirza

**A/N: **Hi guys! Wow it's nearly been three months since I updated this… apologises for the wait! It may be a while since my next update, I've only got a few months left at college so things are a little crazy… With this one I thought I should put some focus on Rila Kirza! I hope you guys enjoy!

Oh and big thanks to those who have followed and favourited the story so far. Means a lot! Feel free to drop a review, I'd love to hear what you all think (no flames please!). (Oh and further apologises for any grammatical errors, it happens unfortunately and a lot of the time I don't have time to fully analyse the chapter before I post it.)

**What Might Surprise You About Rila Kirza**

Doctor Rila Falere Kirza. A name many associated with a small woman with a sarcastic wit and a sense of clear professionalism. An association that had proven true on many accounts. But those weren't the only pieces that completed Rila Kirza. A fact Leonard McCoy knew too well. Each and every day, she never seemed to fail to surprise him. Each and every day, little pieces of her crew sneaked into her personality.

On one of these instants both himself and Jim had been a little startled by what they witnessed, when they entered the Cafeteria one late Thursday evening. The giggling that met their ears was the first indication something was off. Frowning deeply, Leonard had exchanged glances with Jim (who returned a similar confused expression). Looking back at the entrance to the Cafeteria, the two of them cautiously stepped inside. Once inside, their attention was immediately drawn to the far corner. It was almost like they'd walked into a high school restaurant. Sat around one of the corner tables were four of the Enterprise's best ladies. Nyota Uhura had her hair hanging loosely, a widened smile on her lips. Carol Marcus was sat on her right side, her legs swung up to rest on the chair beside her. Naomi Reed was on Nyota's left, her feet were up on the table and her hands rested behind her head. Rila Kirza's was beside Naomi, her legs tucked in neatly looking more composed and professional. But her relaxed shoulder and wide grin told a different story. The four of them were exchanged in deep conversation and every few seconds would burst into a fit of giggles.

"You've got to be kidding, they actually call him that?" Carol asked as she turned to Rila.

"They do, apparently it's been a choice nickname that all the female staff have been using," Rila replied, with a curled mischievous grin on her face.

With that, the women burst into fits on laughter once more.

"Wow, honestly I can see why," Naomi smirked raising an eyebrow cheekily.

Nyota and Carol nodded, and mumbled in unison, "Mmmhmm."

Again they burst in simultaneous laughter.

Jim and Leonard exchanged puzzled glances, catching elements of their conversations as they walked further inside. Nyota was about to add more to the conservation, but Naomi quickly (but gently) nudged her, "Looks like we've got some company."

Rila looked up with a wide smile as Jim and Leonard slowly approached, "It would appear so."

Naomi smirked as they stopped in front of them, "Hey guys and what brings you gentlemen down here this evening?" Once she ended her sentence, the four women in sync turned to face Leonard giving him a quick wink.

Leonard exchanged more concerned glances with Jim. This just gave them more fuel as the four of them burst into more echoing laughter.

"We could ask you the same question," Jim tried not to look as thrown as he was.

Rila shook her head as she turned to Jim, "Can't four girls just enjoy a bit of quality time together?"

"I guess not…" Jim answered. He felt as uncomfortable as Leonard looked.

Jim placed a hand on Leonard's shoulder, "Right well excuse us ladies, we're just gonna grab some coffee." With that the two of them turned away and headed for the replicator. The four ladies watched them go, with cheeky smirks.

"Hmm well there goes Doctor Sexy," Rila smirked adding a little emphasised disappointment into her voice.

"Those female medical staff are accurate with their nicknames," Nyota replied with the same cheek.

"Mmmhmm," Naomi and Carol both nodded as their eyes danced after Jim and Leonard.

Leonard looked to Jim as they walked away, "Were they…"

Jim nodded, "Gossiping? Yes." He paused for a moment before adding with a smirk, "Looks like they were exchanging some choice words about you. Maybe Rila was giving some of your more personal trade secrets away."

If looks could kill Jim Kirk would be a pile of ashes by now as Leonard turned to the young Captain. The many death glares of Leonard McCoy was something everyone had grown accustomed, even a few managed to put Jim in his place and prompt him to shut his mouth or change the subject . This was one of them. Turning he started up the replicator, getting the two of them some much needed coffee.

Leonard glanced over at the women with curiosity. While Jim's comment was still grating on his short-late evening nerves, he couldn't help but let his mind wonder. Rila was never someone he'd associate dabbling in idle gossip. Sure she wasn't the rough and tumble bundle that was Naomi Reed. Seeing the wide smile on her face, he was happy. Happy she was able to kick back and relax with friends. Still he couldn't help a little worry slipping through his mind, just how much did they share with each other?

Surprises happened on more than one occasion and this one occurred in an unexpected situation. Naomi ducked down just in time as a blast narrowly missed her head. Scotty really was going to have a field day with the mess the scavengers had made of the crew quarters. They had managed to worm their way in, made themselves out to be refugees in need of the Enterprise's assistance. Before they knew it, they'd locked off the crew's quarters attempting to take hostages, thus ensuring their leverage to take the ship. For once Naomi was glad she had come down with this hellish stomach bug. She had stayed coped up in the Captain's quarters, working away at various weaponry from the armoury. Analysing them to see what she could add for improvements (well when she wasn't throwing her guts up). If she hadn't of had that array of weaponry here and now, she and the others wouldn't have anything to defend themselves with. She turned to said others. Sulu looked steadily calm and determined as he fired back at the scavengers. Small Keenser was right beside him, ducking down with his hands above his head, just waiting for this to be over. Scotty really was going to have a field day with this. Leonard and Rila were close together, ducking down and firing when they dared enough to try.

Leonard eyes were wide and his hair frazzled. Naomi knew the look, he was about to descend into one of his pessimistic rants.

"There's no way we can keep this up, they're gonna break through," he cried.

"Doctor, we just have to hold out until help arrives," Sulu replied as he fired a shot, narrowly catching one of the scavengers.

"Easy for you to say, I'm out of my damn element here!"

Rila looked to Naomi, "How many can you see left?"

Naomi quickly moved her head above, firing along with Sulu as he covered her while she looked.

"I count ten at the least," Naomi answered as she quickly jolted back down. Bad move. Her stomach lurched, forcing her to grip it hard. She had to swallow the urge to puke.

"Don't over-do it Reed," Rila stated as she gazed at her friend.

Naomi smirked, "Little hard to not do that right now."

The shoot-out continued. The small group of five may have been heavily outnumbered but they refused to give the enemy an inch.

"Damn it!" Naomi cried out as she gazed down at her phaser, "I'm running out fire power here."

Rila nodded with the mixture of the same annoyance.

Sulu looked to them, appearing to be the in the same predicament, "We're going to have to make every shot count."

They nodded as they continued firing. Naomi felt some satisfaction when her one of her shots hit a scavenger square in the chest. But that did nothing to slow their enemy's advances.

"We're not gonna last much longer," Leonard grumbled as he ducked down, missing a shot aimed for his face.

Naomi looked to him with a spark of crazy amusement, "Have a little faith Bones."

Rila shook her head, "You're speaking to the wrong people about faith Reed."

Naomi smirked before popping her head up top side again and firing off a few more blasts. She ducked back down again and turned to them, "I'm nearly all out."

Sulu turned, "Me too."

Rila furrowed her brow as she looked to her friends, "I've got an idea. Can you cover me?"

"Of course," Naomi replied whilst Sulu nodded.

"And what if this idea doesn't work?" Leonard asked her.

"Well then to put it simply… we're screwed," Rila answered matter-of-factly.

Naomi and Sulu jumped up first to fire off some shots, covering Rila. Rila moved up, ignoring any protests from Leonard beside her. She narrowed her eyes, her hunch better be right about this one. Taking aim, Rila paused for a moment. Time appeared to slow down for her mind as she lined up the shot. It came down to this. If she was wrong or missed then she'd fail them. If she was right and hit her target, victory would be guaranteed. It was now or never. Talking a breath, Rila pulled the trigger. The shot darted across the room like a bat out of hell. The target was a portion of the exposed energy container for the main scavenger's rifle. It hit the target precisely and before anyone knew what was happening, Rila cried at her friends to take cover. They didn't need telling twice as they ducked down into cover once more. The rifle exploded in the man's hand, causing an explosion that took firm care of their problem. The screams of the scavengers filled their ears and they waited. The blast died down quickly until all that could be heard was the soft hiss of flames. Leonard looked to Rila in a mixture of surprise and alarm, before the group moved from cover to the look at Rila's handy-work. The blast had taken care of the entire scavengers unit. Those closest to the blast were dead, those far enough away were either knocked unconscious or too injured to move. Small flames littered the space around them, but nothing too extreme that couldn't be handled.

Sulu, Keenser, Leonard and Naomi turned to Rila Kirza in a mixture of shock and amazement.

"How the hell…" Leonard muttered.

Rila couldn't help but look a little proud of herself.

"I recognised his rifle. A few months back Reed mentioned that rifle, that it was taken off standard Starfleet issue due to an… unseen major design fault."

Naomi looked at Rila baffled, "Oh yeah… wait you actually listen to me when I start talking about crap like that?"

Rila nodded, "Of course. It may not particular have interest to me, but it does to you."

Naomi didn't know what to say. They were all still looking at her.

"Despite that, you made a shot from that far away?" Leonard asked her, still thoroughly confused.

Rila nodded, "Yes. I may be a Doctor, Leonard, but it doesn't mean I don't know my way around a phaser."

Leonard continued to look at her baffled. The amazement was soon broken, when the sprinklers hissed on and footsteps approached.

"The cavalries here," Naomi stated.

Jim Kirk and Spock were visible at the top of the steps issuing out orders as the security officers rounded up the scavengers that were still alive. The Captain and Commander then proceed to head down the steps towards their small group.

"Everyone alright?" Jim called over as he and Spock approached.

"Just peachy," Leonard cried back sarcastically.

Jim and Spock stopped in front of them as the group stood and moved from cover.

"Nice shooting," Jim remarked as he gazed up at the scavengers above.

"You can thank Kirza for that," Sulu informed whilst Keenser nodded beside him.

Jim turned back to face them, a little puzzled.

Spock looked to Rila with curiosity, "Impressive shooting Doctor. Might I enquire as to how you managed such a task?"

Naomi scrambled to her feet and almost seemed to fly over to her friend's side. She looked to Spock, "She's friggin' genius that's how."

Once the words left her mouth, she felt her stomach regret the speed of her pace whilst moving. Unable to hold it back or give anyone chance to reply, she felt herself curl over before throwing up… all over Spock's shoes.

Everyone looked away and grimaced in disgust. Rila just felt herself raise a hand to her head with a small sigh. When she had finished, Naomi slowly looked up to Spock in brisk shame.

"Err- sorry Commander," Naomi looked at Spock in slight fear.

Spock didn't seem that phased and simply nodded, accepting the unfortunate incident, "Maybe it would be best for you to accompany Doctors Kirza and McCoy to medical bay Miss Reed."

Naomi turned to Leonard and Rila who just nodded at her with sincere sympathy.

"Yeah you're probably right," Naomi answered with a sheepish smile. She allowed Leonard and Rila to take her by the arms and led her away. It was as they left that Leonard couldn't help but chuckle.

"What?" Rila asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't know what to find funnier. Your shooting skills or the fact that Reed just threw up on Spock's shoes," Leonard replied with a smirk.

"Go with her shooting skills. The throwing up was just down-right embarrassing," Naomi quipped with some amusement of her own.

The three of them chuckled as they headed off to the all-so-familiar med-bay.

As with many surprises, they didn't just happen once or twice. The med-bay was mayhem, staff rushing to and throe as they prepared for a critical patient. Rila shouldn't have been surprised when the away team below hit trouble, after all when did any of Kirk's away teams ever not run into trouble. But when they had reported back with hostiles in tail and a critically injured crew member, Rila had to pause. While she kept her professional mask, her mind couldn't help but run through all the possibilities. Who was it? What was the state of their condition? Taking a deep breath she waited as she heard the gurney approaching and Leonard's raised voice.

And she waited.

While she initially knew her wait lasted for a few mere seconds, it felt like hours. Her heart shuddered in anticipation. Her eyes trained on the door. That's when the gurney became visible, her eyes catching the familiar gold shirt. Her heart caught in her throat as the gurney approached closer. Of course it was him.

Jim Kirk was lying alarming still, his skin a ghostly pale. His once all gold shirt was stained in a startling amount of red. Leonard hovered at his side as he rushed him through, barking out orders to the staff around. The gurney didn't stop as Jim was taken straight into surgery. Rila should have been with them as she was prepared to partake when Leonard turned to her quickly.

"Tend to Chekov, I've got this."

With that the doors to the surgery room zoomed shut, leaving Rila in stunned silence. She paused, trying to clear her head of the chilling images of a deathly still Jim. Turning Rila became alerted to Chekov. He must have followed after with Leonard when Jim had been brought in. The staff had been so focused on their injured Captain, that he had slipped inside unnoticed. Since stepping inside, Chekov hadn't moved much from the door. The colour had left his once bright happy features. There was dried blood covering the right side of his forehead, and he was clutching his left arm. As Rila walked over, it was clear he hadn't noticed her. His eyes were trained on the door to the surgery room.

"Mr Chekov?" Rila gently placed a hand on his shoulder to grab his attention. Chekov slowly turned his gaze to her, appearing to be in trance. Rila's kept her approach gentle. It was clear the young navigator was still in shock.

"Why don't you come with me? We'll get you cleared up," Rila offered gently, giving him a small smile.

Chekov blinked at Rila a few times before nodding. Rila took her chance as she gently led Chekov to one of the beds. Sitting him down, she set to work. First was assessing his injuries, pulling out her scanner she took some readings. While it was mostly bruises and small cuts, Rila did come across a dislocated left elbow and a minor concussion. The elbow would be the most painful to correct, so Rila opted to get that dealt with first. She ensured to give Chekov fair warning, before she snapped the elbow back into place. She then continued by cleaning up the wound on his forehead before moving onto the cuts. The silence was almost overwhelming. Rila knew that the two of them had the same thing on their minds, the welfare of their Captain. Leonard had pulled Jim out of worse, that piece of reassurance she ran through her mind every time Jim's still form entered her thoughts. She got up leaving Chekov for a moment and escaping the silence, as she headed over to the cupboards to pick up a sling.

It was in that moment the silence was broken.

"Dr Kirza, is the Captain going to be okay?" Chekov asked, his Russian accent thick and heavy with emotion. Rila cracked upon hearing his feeble voice. Her pounding heart now shattered. She took a deep breath, not even turning back to face Chekov when she answered. "I don't know Mr Chekov. I—I don't know."

Rila picked up the sling, closed the cupboards and turned back to her patient. Chekov had dipped his head and was looking at the floor, the silence falling back into place. Quietly Rila made her way back over, the sling gripped tightly in her hand. She stopped in front of Chekov, gazing down at him warmly.

"Here you go, you'll only need to wear this for a few days tops," Rila held out the sling to him.

Chekov didn't answer her or even take the sling, his gaze still fixed on the floor.

"Mr Chekov?"

Chekov looked up at her, his eyes were watery and red. He shook his head, "I'm sorry Dr Kirza…"

Rila kept her gaze on him as she turned and settled herself down on the bed beside him, "Sorry… sorry for what?"

"It's my fault…. The Captain he-" Chekov trailed off.

Rila drew up the conclusions quickly. Of course Jim would endanger his life so quickly for his crew. Never thinking about the consequences on him or them.

Rila looked at Chekov, "Don't say that Chekov, you know what the Captain is like."

Chekov shook his head looking defeated. A soft gentle arm wrapped round his shoulder as Rila pulled the young navigator close, knowing this was the best medicine he needed.

"Don't beat yourself up Pavel. It's not your fault, if it's anyone's fault it's the bastard who attacked in the first place," Rila rubbed his shoulder gently. Chekov chuckled a little at that, but it didn't do much to lighten his spirits.

"The Captain-" he mumbled.

"Is going to be fine, you'll see Pavel." Rila held him closer, bringing up her other hand to cradle his head gently. Her fingers brushed through his curly locks, as she comforted him. Chekov buried his head in her shoulder, letting out his overflowing emotions. Rila held tightly but gently as she mumbled reassurances to him. She continued to hold him close even when she heard heavy fast approaching footsteps outside, approaching the med-bay. Looking up, she knew immediately who it was.

Naomi Reed crashed through the door, panting heavily from running and her eyes wide with alarm. "Where's Jim? Where is he?" she called to Rila, not even noticing Chekov.

Rila looked up at Naomi urging her over and making a small shushing sound, indicating that she needed to lower her voice and slow down. Naomi took the message as she approached slowly. It was when she was stood directly in front of them, that she noticed Chekov's fragile state. A pang of guilt hit her, realising her brisk tone and worry would only cause more harm to the navigator's state than good. But still she needed to know.

"Sorry…" Naomi muttered her tone lowered almost to a whisper, "Jim, where is he?"

"Leonard took him into surgery about an hour or so ago," Rila replied her arms still wrapped round Chekov.

Naomi rubbed a hand over her face turning away for a moment. Turning back to Rila, "How serious was it? Is he gonna make-"

Rila quickly interrupted her, "Reed. Leonard's pulled him out of worse… he's going to be fine."

"I'm sorry Reed…"

Rila and Naomi stopped and looked at Chekov, who had moved his red eyes to look up at Naomi.

"Hey you don't have to be sorry for anything Chekov," Naomi replied warmly, gazing at the navigator with affection.

"He was protecting me Ms Reed…" Chekov trailed off, his voice thick with emotion. Naomi didn't know what to say. She wanted to tell Chekov it wasn't his fault, to quit feeling guilty. But she herself had been in that boat enough times to know, that guilt like that didn't just disappear. It stayed with you. Sometimes forever.

Rila registered the hurt in Naomi's eyes as she gazed down at Chekov. Shaking her head she moved one of her arms from around Chekov, patting the empty space on the bed beside her. "Come on. I think hugging it out's the best thing for all of us right now."

Normally Naomi would have been startled by that kind of gesture from Rila Kirza, but currently she was too upset to care. Settling down beside Rila, she stretched her arms out wrapping them round her two friends with care and pure love. The three of them sat there in warm embrace, letting just the pure kind contact ease their concerns and worries about their Captain. Tears were shed. Gentle words were uttered. But for the most part it was quiet as they huddled together in a bubble of comfort.

That bubble lasted for some time. Rila didn't even bother to see for how long, until her ears perked upon hearing the familiar whoosh of the surgery room doors opening.

Leonard McCoy stepped out of the surgery room door, running a hand through his hair. The gurney exited more gently and slowly than when it arrived. Jim Kirk was now sleeping soundly instead of knocking at death's door. His condition was stable and Leonard had no doubt that he would make a full recovery. That was given if he rested properly, but they was no way Leonard was letting him out of his sight. Drifting his gaze over, he watched as Chapel and Adam gently pulled the gurney to a stop at one the beds. They then proceed to make him comfortable.

Leonard watched them for a moment. He paused, he could almost feel her eyes upon him despite her distance from the surgery doors. Turning he met the gaze of his beloved Rila Kirza. He couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at the scene in front of him, even as he approached. Rila had her arms wrapped tightly around the young navigator and her best friend. The three of them were knitted together in a small bundle. He didn't know whether to find the scene confusing or heart-warming. The three of them looked up expectantly as he came to a stop in front of them, looking like a group of wide eyed school children.

Rila quickly read Leonard's expression, before Naomi opened her mouth to ask the question they were all dying to know the answer to.

"Jim, is he okay?"

Leonard let a small smile slide across his lips, "Jim's gonna be just fine."

The three of them collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Naomi quickly slid out of her embrace with her friends and stood up to stand beside the Doctor.

Leonard turned to her already knowing her next question, "You want to see him, don't you?"

Naomi nodded. Leonard frowned at her.

"Please Bones," Naomi pleaded looking at him intently.

Leonard shook his head and gave in, "Fine. But you wake him-"

"You'll jab me so full of hypo-sprays I won't be able to move for a week," Naomi interrupted with a small humorous smirk.

Leonard nodded, "Good to know we understand each other."

Naomi smiled happily, not needing any more confirmation as she darted off quietly to see Jim. Rila watched her go with amusement, before turning to the young navigator who was still wrapped in her arm.

She smiled at him warmly, "See Pavel, I told you he was going to be fine."

Chekov looked at her, looking more perky and relaxed now he knew his Captain was out of danger. He nodded with a small smile.

Rila slowly released her arm from around the navigator, just enough until her hand rested on his opposite shoulder. "Why don't you go get some rest? I think you deserve it after all that."

"The Captain-" Chekov started but Rila quickly interrupted.

"He'll still be here tomorrow. You can see him then. Promise."

Chekov nodded before shakily getting to his feet. Rila made sure to hand him the sling still in her hand. He took it graciously and made to leave. He stopped and turned to Rila.

"Doctor Kirza… thank you."

Rila smiled at him warmly, "You're very welcome Mr Chekov."

With that the young navigator left. Leonard looked down at Rila with a smile and a spark of amusement. He plonked himself down beside her and turned to face her. Rila quickly snapped her head round to look at him.

"What?" she asked perplexed.

"Nothing," Leonard replied as he gazed at her with endearment. He didn't say another word as he looped an arm round her. Pulling her close, he planted a soft gentle kiss on top of her head. Rila smiled happily at that and she nuzzled closer to Leonard McCoy. Her Leonard McCoy.


	9. You Are My Brother

_A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in while…. My muse can leave me a lot… _

_Anyway this one is focussed on the friendship between Naomi and Bones. Expect some fun, action and well… all the feels! I'd love some reviews (no flames please!). Enjoy! And thanks for sticking with me!_

**You are my Brother**

Each step had to be taken carefully. One wrong move and the whole thing would come crashing down. Sure she had to be grateful the large, overgrown tree branches were there to break their fall. But the problem was it made everything even more risky and unpredictable. One wrong or heavy step and the whole branch could go, leading to a long plummet to the ground below.

"You just had to aggravate the natives!" came the grumbled tone of Leonard McCoy. His frown was apparent on his brow without Naomi Reed even having to glance at her friend. The doctor had managed to tangle himself in some of the overhanging vines of the tree. They were the only thing stopping him from a deadly drop. Naomi may have neglected to inform him of this, purely to keep his panic at bay. Right now she'd rather listen to his grumbling; at least it provided a distraction from their hanging predicament.

It still didn't mean she rolled her eyes at his comment.

"Aggravate? I didn't even get chance to blink before they decide they wanted to use us for target practice! So don't blame that on me!" Naomi may have raised her voice, but her attention was still focussed on her movements. She had to climb down carefully to get to Bones. Those vines weren't going to hold him up forever. The sooner she got them both back on solid ground the better.

Leonard audibly scowled, "Still doesn't mean you're any less of a trouble magnet."

"Trouble magnet? I'm offended Bones!" Naomi added a smirk and some extra sarcasm (courtesy of Rila Kirza) into her reply.

"That wasn't a denial!"

Naomi chuckled as she steadily made her way down, "No I guess it wasn't…"

There was a long pause for a moment. Naomi continued her slow decent to Leonard.

"Damnit Reed!"

"What did I do now?" Naomi sighed. Her eyes still focused on each step and handhold to full look at the panicked doctor.

"You left out some damn details! Like the size of this thing!"

"I told you were in a tree, what more did you want me to say?" Naomi snapped back.

Leonard scoffed, "I don't know, maybe the fact if we slip it's a drop to our certain deaths!"

"Okay so I left out a few details. I thought I'd do the decent thing and I don't know… not let you worry about that while I make sure that doesn't happen," Naomi replied. Just as those words left Naomi's lips, her right foot gave way as the small branch beneath it broke. She gasped as she felt herself slide down the bark of the trunk.

"Reed!" Leonard cried out to her.

Digging her finger nails into the trunk, Naomi slowed her sliding. When she finally hit a sturdy enough branch, she dared to glance at her finger tips. They were now a bloody messy. She winced.

"Reed! Reed, are you alright?" came Leonard's cries from below.

She looked down meeting his gaze with a small smile, "I'm alright Bones. Don't worry I'll get you down this thing safely. That's a promise."

Leonard looked up with a sturdy concerned gaze. He had no doubt behind Naomi's promise, but he couldn't help but worry. She was more likely to pulling a daring stunt that would risk her but save him.

Since her small tumble, Leonard watched her like a hawk. He wasn't satisfied until Naomi was gently perched above his vine entanglement. His gaze still held panic.

"How's it hanging?" Naomi smirked, lightening the tone of their impending disaster.

Leonard scowled and huffed, gazing up at her unimpressed.

"Okay, okay…. That was a terrible pun I know…" Naomi answered. Hazel eyes scanned over the vines, analysing the best route to untangle her dear friend. She had to be careful and sure of this. She couldn't break her promise. Leonard needed her help. She couldn't let him down.

Leonard couldn't help but notice the change in Naomi's features. Seriousness and concentration were written into her face. Their eyes meet once more and Naomi's almost spoke a thousand emotions. He knew her well enough now to see what was there. All the unspoken care and worry for his safety.

"Leonard…" he could tell how serious she was.

She rarely called him Leonard. It was usually Jim's nickname of Bones that she tended to adopt. It was in rare moments when she truly wore her heart on her sleeve, she used Leonard. The last time she called him Leonard was when the crew had gone out to enjoy some drinks. Naomi had gotten really emotionally drunk. She constantly reminded the crew throughout the night how amazing they were and how much she loved them. How much she appreciated them. The main command crew each got their fair share of bear-hugs. Leonard had received many on that night from the drunk-off-her-ass, Naomi. Despite her drunken slurs, he couldn't help but be a little touched by her words.

"Do you trust me?" no smirk was present on Naomi's lips this time. She was deadly serious and almost uncertain.

"Of course I do kid," Leonard answered within a heartbeat.

Naomi seemed reassured by his words. The typical Kirk-twinkle of determination entered her eyes.

Pointing before him, Naomi located a nearby vine, "Take a hold of that. Hold it tight okay."

Placing his life in her hands, Leonard did as she said as best as he could. Reaching out, his left hand wrapped around the vine gripping it as tightly as he could.

Taking a deep breath, Naomi pulled a small knife out her belt. Quickly she began cutting at the other surrounding vines.

Leonard gazed at her, "You know what you're doing?"

She didn't look up but replied quickly, "Of course. I'll have you out of there in no time!"

Leonard nodded. He did trust her. But he couldn't shake off the feeling this wasn't going to work out so well… it never did when it involved Naomi or Jim….

The minutes seemed to tick by as Naomi cut through the vines trapping Leonard in a web. But those minutes turned into seconds when the last vine was cut. He didn't even have chance to register the sudden drop. All that Naomi could register was a loud yelp as he plummeted from view.

Leonard's grip tightened on the vine, jerking to a halt. He gasped, his wide eyes instantly fixed to the drop beneath him.

"Bones!"

Naomi's cry alerted him back to the top as she gazed down at him. He was about to reply as his attention was brought elsewhere. A sharp snapping sound hit his ears. No… the vine in his hand was slowly snapping under his weight. It was the only thing stopping his fall.

His panicked gaze looked to Naomi, "Reed!"

He was met with a similar panicked look, "Hold on Bones!"

Too late. The vine snapped completely, leaving Leonard with nothing to take a hold of. He screamed out in fear. This was it. How it would all end. Falling out of a goddamn tree! He braced himself. This was it…

His fall stopped just moments from when it started. Something had latched itself tightly onto Leonard's hand. No not something… another hand…

Leonard dared to open his eyes. He was met with the sight of his saviour…. Naomi. She had swung down. One hand looped around the branch she was once perched on, the other catching Leonard's outstretched hand. She held him tightly and looked down at the doctor.

A smile hit her lips, "You okay?"

"Yeah… thanks," Leonard answered, truly grateful that the young woman had saved his skin.

"Well I did make a promise remember."

Leonard looked Naomi deep in the eye and gave her a small half smile. It was quickly returned before Naomi turned her attention back above. She looked up trying to find the best way to get them both back up so they could climb down properly. They had to get back up there soon. She couldn't hold them both there forever….

As if answering her concerned thoughts, her grip on the branch began to slip.

"Shit," she grumbled in concern. Just her damn luck, why now of all times?

"Reed?" Leonard questioned.

Before she had chance to reply, her grip on the branch completely slid off. Naomi could only let out a gasp as the two dropped. Together they fell to their certain deaths… For the second time that day Leonard's scream met Naomi's ears.

Bang! Snap! Crash!

Naomi upper body hit a sturdy branch, stopping their fall. She gripped it tightly with her free hand, the other was still looped around Leonard's hand. Air disappeared out of her lungs, leaving her gasping loudly. Her chest was of fire, she couldn't breathe. Coughing loudly, she forced air back into her empty lungs. Naomi forced herself up to get a better look. She instantly regretted it when a loud crack entered her ears…. Shit, that sounded like her ribs. Blinking back tears of pain, she got a hold of herself. Looking up she noticed that they had fallen quite a way down the tree. A sudden fall or a painful shortcut… Naomi wasn't sure what best to call it. Right now, Naomi reckoned she could make a decent jump down from where they were. The only thing stopping her were her ribs. The jump could cause more damage. She couldn't really risk puncturing a lung…. Again.

Suddenly she seemed to remember she wasn't alone. Looking down she analysed her dangling friend.

"Bones?" she called out.

No answer. Actually listening closely the doctor wasn't even making a peep. That was not good… Calming her instant rising panic, Naomi studied Leonard. A graze of blood smeared down from his right temple and his eyes were shut tight. Looked like he'd knocked himself out cold on the way down… at least Naomi hoped that was the answer. Gulping back any other thoughts she focused on their situation. The pain was forced down. Naomi gritted her teeth. She pulled. She pulled until she perched on the branch. She pulled until Leonard was tucked safely beside her.

Needing to make sure, Naomi placed her fingers on his neck. Relief washed over her… a pulse. He was in fact unconscious. She could deal with unconscious… at least for now.

Right… now she needed to get them down. Naomi tried to look for a safe route, but with an unconscious Leonard it made things more difficult. There was no way to carry him down… Naomi didn't really have that kind of strength… it left her with little options. Her gaze met the ground once more. Thinking about it more closely the ground wasn't that far away. Sure a jump could joggle the system, but it couldn't be so bad… right?

Naomi sighed. She was left with little options. Glancing at Leonard, she paused. He was going to kill her for this but it felt like her only option.

Pulling herself round, she hugged him close to her. Her plan was to act as a shield for Leonard when it came to the fall. It probably wasn't her smartest idea… given their current states…

Making sure to focusing on keeping Leonard's head as still as possible, Naomi took her chance. One minute they were on the tree branch. The next they were gone.

Naomi's back hit the ground hard, jolting throughout her body. With Leonard's weight on top of her too, she felt like she was stuck in a sandwich. Or maybe vice was the better comparison, due to her feeling like her chest was going to be crushed to pieces. She gasped, attempting to reach out for as much oxygen as she could. Coughing and wheezing, she gently pulled the doctor aside laying him next to her.

"Rila never finds out about that okay?" she looked to still unconscious friend. She sighed, "Come on buddy, let's get out of here."

Rising to her feet, she steadied herself. Her legs trembled for a moment as she regained a sturdy balance. Moving to Leonard, she pulled his unconscious form up. With her arms looped underneath his armpits, she half-carried half-dragged him. She needed to find them somewhere safe before the natives caught up them. Somewhere where she could protect the doctor. Sighing she began her search, holding onto Leonard gently but firmly… trudging into the depths of the forest.

Her fingers tenderly danced over the deep black bruises. They littered her torso but more blackened when it came to ribs. She had certainly cracked a few, but with a gentle inspect there didn't appear to be any brakes. Naomi smiled slightly… that was good. She'd managed to find them a small cave for shelter. It wasn't perfect. It provided cover but with some hard searching they could be easily found. But Naomi was left with little choice. It was getting late and darkness was hitting the sky. It looked like they would be spending the night down here. She looked over to the other side of the cave. Leonard was slumped against the wall. His eyes still firmly shut.

No doubt he wouldn't have been happy about being stuck down for the night. He would have some way to verbally run over some many ways it could get worse. Or cursing at Jim for not finding them sooner. Or checking over her ribs and scolding her for not taking better care of herself.

Naomi's gaze fell sad. She was getting concerned now. It had been some time since the tree and still he hadn't shown any sign of waking. That could mean a million things were wrong and she felt the fear rise with each passing minute. She'd gladly have the doctor ranting at her all night, at least he would be awake. Forcing back a few tears, Naomi let a deep breath out and suddenly shivered. With the setting of sun, they were forced to brace the cold elements. She regretted not building a fire, but the smoke could easily be spotted by the natives. Wrapping her arms around her, she looked over to Leonard. If she was feeling the cold, he must certainly be feeling it too.

Moving swiftly, Naomi settled down beside Leonard. She rested her head lightly on his shoulder, closing her eyes for a moment. Naomi had been stranded alone on planets before. Unfortunately, it was something she'd gotten used to on a few occasions. But it didn't mean she liked being alone. Even with his presence beside her, Naomi felt so alone. Fear clouded her mind. Fear for Leonard.

"You better wake up… you hear me?" Naomi mumbled. Typically she added some humour to lighten the tone… but right now her voice was edged with helplessness. Nuzzling closer to her friend, Naomi let her body rest. She let the darkness consume them… a least for a few moments that night.

Voices. That was the first thing that met her ears. Bright light entered her eyes, causing her to blink rapidly. She must have dozed off during the night. Instantly looking to Leonard beside her, she found her heart sinking. His eyes were still shut tight. Suddenly she was alerted to the voices again. They were coming from outside the cave. She couldn't make out the voices clearly. A spark of hope lit up her eyes. Maybe they'd been found. Ignoring the stiffness in her limbs, she scrambled to her feet. She looked to Leonard.

"I'll be right back Bones. Just hang in there for me," with those words she stepped out the cave.

She hated to leave Leonard alone, but she had to be certain about the voices. She wanted to believe it was them; that the Enterprise had finally found them. But she had to be careful. If they were a threat, she had to keep them away. Sneaking quietly, she approached the voices. Her footfalls were quiet, hunter-esque as she moved closer and closer.

She was almost upon them now. The voices were clearer and it made her heart sink once again. The natives…. They'd found them.

The natives dressed almost like old-earth war soldiers, dressed head to toe in camo-gear. Their faces were pale, almost like a human albino. They even had the matching pure red eyes, no pupil, no additions… just pure red. It was quite unnerving.

Naomi was about to turn and flee. She had no means to defend herself and she wouldn't do Leonard any favours by getting shot up.

Snap!

A twig, no bigger than a few centimetres snapped beneath Naomi's foot. Despite the small snap, it was enough. The natives turned, instantly spotting her.

"Shit," Naomi grumbled. She turned and darted, just narrowly missing a blast targeted at her head. She only had one goal now.

Keep them away from Leonard.

Naomi fought back the urge to curse. The sprinting just jarred her ribs further, causing more discomfort and pain. Biting back that pain, Naomi forced her mind into gear. She needed a plan.

Boom!

Naomi leapt, the last blast slightly singeing her left heel. Any closer and it would have surely blown a hole in her calve. Her previous advantage of surprise was gone; she needed a new edge if she hoped to make it back to Leonard. Forcing her legs into overdrive Naomi powered ahead. Not daring to look back, she prayed she'd slipped out of sight for a brief moment. A moment was all she needed.

She skidded behind a tree to her left. Hiding out of sight, lying in wait. Holding her breathe, she listened out.

The Natives were approaching now. They were about to pass her on the right. Closer… closer… just a little closer….

Bam!

Naomi swung her arm out, almost karate-chopping him in the neck. The native went down with a crash, giving Naomi only seconds. Snatching his blaster, she brought it round to the Natives directly behind. Her finger hit the trigger without hesitation, catching one of them directly in the chest. He collapsed in a heap. The other natives responded quickly, firing back at her. Naomi turned away just in time, using the tree as cover. The blasts rippled through the bark, causing her to bite her lip to hold back the panic.

It was okay. It was just a small handful. About three maybe four natives…She could do this…. She had to do this.

Gulping back, Naomi poked out firing off a few shots. She then swung back to cover, not even checking if they hit their mark. The shrill cry was the only indicator she'd hit one. She was about to turn back out, but a blast darted out of nowhere. It grazed her upper right arm, leaving it red, raw and burning.

"Ahhhh!" Naomi cried out, pulling her arm toward her instinctively. Burns…. Damn she hated them. Cursing Naomi took a moment. Biting her lip, she tightened her grip on her blaster. She couldn't give them a chance to get closer. She needed to fire back, even if to keep them at bay. Turning back to her opponents, she let out an insane screeching. Not leaving any breathing room, she lay down a continuous rapid fire. Screeching out as she did so. Leonard would defiantly be putting her down from an intense psych evaluation if he could see her now. She looked like a mad woman that definitely shouldn't be handling a weapon.

The natives had little time to respond. They cried out in their native language but they could do nothing to keep her at bay.

By the time Naomi stopped and turned back to cover. There was deadly silence in the air. Naomi panted harshly, closing her eyes. Her ears perked listening intently. The silence continued to meet her ears. Taking another deep and ragged breath, she forced herself out of hiding. Still holding her blaster high, she began to slowly move forward. Despite the silence, she had to be sure that there was no longer a threat.

Being too focussed on the potential threats ahead, she didn't see the one from the side.

Smack!

A sharp pain hit Naomi's left temple. Falling, she crashed down onto her right side. Too startled to attempt to reach for her fallen weapon, she became trapped. Trapped by a boot slamming down on her shoulder and blaster buried into her skull.

He was snapping words at Naomi in his native tongue. Despite not understanding a word he said, Naomi could sense the hatred in his tone. He was going to kill her and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. She mentally sent out her apologises. Especially to Leonard… she wasn't going to be there to watch his back.

Shutting her eyes tight, she waited for the cold arms of death.

Boom!

The blaster shot made contact… but not with her. She felt a heavy weight collapse on top of her, forcing her down harder. Spluttering in surprise, she was about to push the weight aside. But that was quickly done for her. Naomi opened her eyes, confusion written in her gaze. Rolling up into a sit position, she looked to her left. The native who once held her captive was down for the count. A blaster mark visibly on his back… must have been point-blank range to cause that much damage…

Suddenly, she came to realise that there was a presence gazing down at her. Apprehensively she turned to look up and instantly she felt relief wash over her.

"Bones!" she cried out happily.

Sure enough Leonard McCoy was stood above her, a blaster gripped tightly in his hand. He still looked pale and small beads of sweat were rolling down his face. But all Naomi could focus on was seeing her friend awake.

"You alright kid?" he asked as Naomi pulled herself up.

"Am I alright? I wasn't the one who's been unconscious since yesterday!" Naomi exclaimed as she gaze at her friend in both joy and slight concern.

Leonard grimaced, "Not gonna lie I've been better."

Naomi nodded and smiled. The small reunion was cut short as Naomi heard shouting in the not so far distance.

"Shit… the rest of them probably heard the shots. We need to get out of-" Naomi was cut short by the sound of a shout and a blast.

"Reed move!" Leonard yelled. He pushed her aside roughly, causing her to hit the ground once more. She was stunned unmoving for a moment. That was until the blast hit something solid and there was a cry. The cry pumped her into action.

Pulling herself up, Naomi looked just as Leonard was flung backwards landing harshly on his back.

"Bones!" she yelled out in panic. Anger entered her eyes as she turned to the native. All damn day and night these bastards had been hunting them down. And now this one had made the mistake of shooting Leonard.

Snatching the blaster, a cold demeanour entered her posture. Without mercy she turned on the native, shooting him clean through the chest. He fell down with a crunch. This one must have marched ahead of the others. Naomi knew more danger was on its way, but for the moment her attention was elsewhere.

She clawed her way to Leonard, crouching beside him. The blast had hit him right in the abdomen and damn that was a lot of blood…

Gulping back her panic, she placed her hands down firmly on the wound. Hoping, praying it would stop the bleeding.

"Bones! Bones you still with me?" Naomi tried to keep the panic out of her voice, but she couldn't. Damn… she really couldn't.

"Reed…" Bones blinked weary eyes up at her.

"Yeah! That's it, just stay awake for me buddy!" Naomi replied, the blood was squelching under her palms. There was so much. So much of her friend's blood on her hands.

"Reed… get out….get out of… here," he grumbled under his breath.

"No way! We're in this together! Now just stay with me!" Naomi almost snapped, but it was more panicked exclaiming at this point. She was terrified. Her eyes were widened in terror. She couldn't lose him. Not like this… She had to bring him back home. If not for him, but for Jim…. For Rila.

Leonard eyes dangerously slid shut.

"Shit no! Bones! Bones come on! Stay with me! Please stay with me!" she begged continuing to press down on the bloody wound. Tears filled her eyes now. He was slipping away from her with every minute, she could feel it.

As if to make matters worse, she could hear the rest of the natives making their approach. They were outnumbered, outgunned and there was no way Naomi could move Leonard right now…

"Bones come on! You've got to work with me here! I need you with me buddy! Please!" Naomi was crying now. She couldn't help it… her best friend was slipping away and there was nothing she could.

He might be alive now… but with the natives approaching, they'd surely be dead in minutes.

Ignoring their cries, Naomi focussed on Leonard. Her best friend…

"Bones please! Please don't do this! I need you buddy, oh god I need you! Don't leave me now… please…. Please Leonard…. I need you pal…" Naomi's last few words came out in soft whimpers. Naomi broke, touching her forehead gently against his. The natives were getting closer now.

"I'm sorry Leonard," Naomi's voice cracked with emotion. This was the end and she couldn't help but feel as if she was responsible for all of it. There was so much she felt was left unsaid to the doctor. He wasn't just her friend… he was family… he was her brother. But at least if this was it… they were in it together. Closing her eyes, she waited, sobbing silently as she clung to Leonard. Almost attempting in her last moments to will him to safety.

For a moment, she thought it had worked as she felt a soothingly light pass over them. Or maybe this was it. Maybe death had come to claim them and her mind had skipped over the initial deadly impact.

Wait… she knew this soothingly light… this sensation….

She opened her eyes and hugged Leonard closer to her.

"It's gonna be okay now Leonard…. We're going home…" Naomi whispered to him. And she let herself smile for a moment. It was time to go home… time to truly bring Leonard to safety…

It was odd. He felt like he was drifting, slipping between worlds…. Maybe he was. Leonard remembered getting shot… he remembered the pain. He remembered the panic in Naomi's eyes and she begged him to stay. He remembered someone pulling him close and whispers he could barely make out… but it was comforting, gentle. He was almost peaceful. At least just for a moment.

Was he dreaming? Or…. Was… was he dead?

Something hit his ears. A familiar beeping… Beeping of a machine…. Almost as if he was….

Groggily he flicked his eyes open and was met with bright blinding light. He groaned blinked back as he slowly regained his vision, trying to clean the fog.

Fingers… gentle fingers ran through his hair. He recognised them anywhere.

"Rila…" he mumbled, as looked up to her blurry form above him.

"Hey there sleepyhead," Rila smiled warmly at him. She continued to run her fingers through his hair, gently pushing him into consciousness.

Leonard's vision slowly came back to him as his dearly beloved Rila formed perfectly before him. She smiled gently at him, clear relief on her face.

Leonard blinked a few times, "Eugh…. What happened?"

"We found you and Reed, managed to bring you back on board. You gave us a scare Leonard…. You were bleeding out all over the place. That blast managed to damage your stomach and caused several internal bleeds. Took a lot a surgery to fix you up," Rila explained, watching Leonard warmly. She was so happy to finally see him awake. He gave her more than a few scares in surgery…. For a moment, she wasn't sure if he was going to make it. But he did and now he was gazing up at her.

"Well I'm here now thanks to you sweetheart," he smiled at her gently. He then blinked for a minute, suddenly remembering Naomi… she had been injured too…

"Wait Reed? Where is she? She okay?" Leonard asked in succession.

Rila only chuckled, "Take a look for yourself."

Leonard blinked confused before he looked to his side. Planted in the chair right beside his bed and fast asleep was Naomi Reed. She was dressed casually in jogging bottoms and a loose tank top. There was a deep scabbed over scratch on her left temple. A bandaged was wrapped around upper right arm where her blaster burn was. A thin layer of bandages were slightly visible beneath her tank top, clearly to keep her ribs gently in place as they continued the healing process. She looked exhausted, but she was okay.

"She hasn't left your side since you came out of surgery. I haven't seen her that panicked in a while. When we beamed you back up she was holding you in her arms…. she was so scared to let you go… even so we could help. When you came out she refused to sleep in her own bed… she wanted to keep a constant eye on you. She didn't want to leave you, Leonard," Rila spoke as Leonard continued to gaze at Naomi.

His heart became filled with warmth as he watched Naomi sleep gently. The fact she cared so damn much, it filled his heart with too much brotherly love. He knew Naomi was a good person. But sometimes the kindness she showed really touched his heart.

It was later that day that the two of them were finally awake together. Leonard was sat up in bed, watching his staff as they busily worked. Many had come over, wishing him a speedy recovery and relief that he was okay. He gazed across at Rila as she was sat at his desk, her head buried in a set of paperwork. He was so preoccupied watching her that he didn't see the movement beside him.

"Bones!"

He turned his head, looking to his side. Naomi was awake and her eyes were wide.

"Hey kid," he greeted her.

"You're awake!" she grinned from ear to ear. Before Leonard had chance to reply, he was gently pounced on. Naomi hugged partly like she was afraid to let him go and partly like he was fragile.

"I was so worried… I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered into his shoulder as she buried her face into it.

Leonard's features went from startled to touched. Closing his eyes, he hugged Naomi back… pulling her ever so slightly closer.

"I'm glad you're okay too kid."

Naomi smiled into his shoulder then it faltered, "But I wasn't the one shot in the gut…."

Leonard could instantly feel the guilt way heavy on her shoulders. That shot had been meant for Naomi… but he'd jumped in at the last second.

"No way was I gonna just stand there and let you get shot. It isn't your fault kid."

"Of course it is…. You shouldn't have to do that for me… ever…"

"Damn well I should. Like you always say… we're a team right?"

Naomi sniffed and he could already tell she was crying before a single tear hit his shoulder. He pulled her closer, almost like a protective older brother supporting his little sister.

"Yeah…." Naomi mumbled out.

The two fell into silence. No words really needing to be said. Leonard knew he'd scared the hell out her. (Hell he'd scared the whole damn crew… his reunion with Jim had been a little more emotional than his pride would admit. Although sitting properly with Rila was even more emotional….). Naomi had probably saved his life down there and here she was blaming herself for him getting shot. He hated it. But he knew her. No matter what he said, she would still carry that guilt.

Damn he hated that he'd scared her. But if he hadn't of jumped in the way, it could be her here… or worse…

"Thanks for watching out for me kid," he mumbled into her hair.

"Thanks for not dying on me," Naomi mumbled back.

Leonard softly chuckled as Naomi nuzzled closer.

"Hey Leonard?"

"Yeah kid?"

"I love you buddy," Naomi spoke gently, continuing to hug the man she considered a brother.

Leonard smiled. This woman had risked her ass, getting him out that tree. Pulling him to safety in that cave and continuing to protect him even when he was bleeding out in her arms. He might not always say it. But even time he bantered with her, told her to be careful or gave her lecture about stupid stunts… damn he cared. She may have entered his life in a violent manner (with the threating and all…). But he loved her. Naomi Reed was family… her and Jim they were his pain-in-the-ass younger siblings. Yeah he got frustrated with them constantly… but they meant the world to him.

Leonard's smile widened. He spoke proudly and softly when he replied, "I love you too kid."


	10. Monsters We Hide Part 1

**Monsters We Hide (Part 1)**

There were things that were never spoken about. Never discussed with anyone. They were too… sensitive… too personal… too much. They couldn't be revealed… never revealed.

It should be left alone. But sometimes well intentions and curiosity can cause far more harm than good… and sometimes that is learnt the hard way.

The main command crew of the Enterprise could sometimes become too curious for their own good. Each of them slowly became aware of an occurrence that happened every month. Every single month, without exception Naomi put an amount of money aside. This weren't general savings, they could tell. The troublesome and kind security officer was completely secretive about it, almost as if she was ashamed of anyone finding out. It was some time before the crew slowly began to take notice. It led to many speculations on their part, more so considering even Artemis had no clue about it. Maybe it was a college fund for any potential children? Maybe she was making sure to have extra cash to cover potential hospital bills? Hell some of the joking and guessing had even lead some to believe she was saving to completely rebuild the Enterprise (given some of the close calls their beloved ship had had). They never dared to ask her….

At least not until Spock decided to let his natural curiosity get the better of him….

It had been a typical day, the majority of the main command crew were tucking into a deserved lunch after a busy day. Naomi Reed had been just grabbing a tray when Spock had approached.

"Miss Reed?" Spock asked as he stopped before her.

Naomi paused turning to the Vulcan with a smile, "Spock."

"Miss Reed," he nodded, "Could I have a moment, there is something I wish to enquire about?"

Naomi blinked at him a little confused but nodded, "Sure, shoot!"

"Very well," he begun, "Something has been brought to my attention, and I hope you don't mind me simply satisfying some curiosity…"

"Okay…"

"It would appear that you have been putting aside a small fund each month. Given you already have savings set aside I was curious as to why you need an additional one?" Spock raised an eyebrow at her.

There was an instant change within those first sentences. Naomi once open demeanour was now closed off and tense. Her hands had clenched tightly around the tray in her hand. Her gaze was locked onto the floor. She looked tense and spooked, almost as if she had seen a ghost. There was silence for a moment.

But that first look of fear quickly turned to anger once she lifted her head. Her smile was gone and she glared up at Spock. Whether it was intentional or not, Spock was uncertain. He was startled and confused by the quick changes in her body language.

"Why do you need to know?" she almost spat out, clearly trying to keep the scorn in her voice in check.

"I was merely curious Miss-"

Naomi quickly cut him off, "Curious? So you'd thought you'd dig into it did you!"

"Miss Reed, it is clear I have somehow-"

"Offended me? Damn straight! It's none of your business Spock!"

Spock tried to speak once more but Naomi snapped again.

"You know what I'm suddenly not that hungry anymore," Naomi was fuming now. In her rage she threw her tray at Spock's feet. Looking to the Vulcan once more she hissed, "Word of advice…. Never and I mean NEVER ASK ME ABOUT THAT AGAIN!"

With those words Naomi turned on her heel and stormed out the cafeteria, leaving a bemused Spock in her wake. The entire crew had turned at this point, startled by Naomi's voice. Their faces were a mixture of questioning and worried.

Since the incident, Naomi had refused to acknowledge and actively avoided Spock for weeks. It was during that time that the command made a vow to never mention it again. Not matter how curious they were.

* * *

The next time it was brought up was under much different circumstances.

Jim had been requested by Starfleet for a summit involving a vast majority of their most loyal ambassadors. It was a bunch of politics that Naomi honestly didn't pay much attention to the details. One thing she knew for sure, she didn't envy Jim in the slightest. The summit would be taking place over a few days, keeping the Captain and his First Officer very preoccupied. This gave the rest of the crew, some time off and a chance for some sneaky shore-leave.

Naomi had stayed close with her crew, joining in the shore-leave festivities. Rila Kirza had decided to take her best friend out for a little walk. They wasn't really much in the summits local area, expect a few libraries and restaurants. She could tell just by looking at Naomi that she was itching to stretch her legs and distract herself. So Rila had decided to take her to the beautiful gardens they housed.

Rila had been to the gardens a few times with her father. The gardens contained memorials to various Federation and famous related tragedies or their various heroes. Sure the garden was a reminder of the lives that had been sadly lost, but even she was taken aback by their beauty. Even she thought they might intrigue her friend.

Once they had entered, Rila had taken her round the various memorials. She remembered the stories that her father had shared with her about the people remembered here. Rila was sure to recite and share the same stories with Naomi.

Naomi stopped, blinking for a few moments. The next memorial was upon them and she instantly knew. Her fingertips were touching one name in particular….

George Kirk.

"This is…" she started.

Rila nodded, stopping beside her friend. "A memorial for the lives lost on the USS Kelvin."

Naomi blinked gazing at the name. George Kirk. He had died a hero, without him Jim wouldn't be here now. But the thought that he would never get to meet him or that George would never get to see his son grow up.

"My father speaks about him a lot…. They were good friends," Rila mumbled.

Naomi gave a gentle smile, "I wish I could have had the chance to meet him."

"Me too," Rila added.

The two stood there for a moment, gazing sombrely at the monument. Staring at the name of the man they had heard so much about but never met. It was strange to be sad over someone you never knew. But sometimes when you hear so much about someone, you can't help but wish you got to meet them and see for yourself.

Rila tapped Naomi lightly on the shoulder as she took the slow lead. Naomi cast one last look at the name, before following after her.

They came to a halt. The next was huge and beautiful sculpted glass memorial. It seemed to almost absorb the sunlight and push it through the entire garden, casting the colour spectrum over the various plants and flowers. Naomi was taken aback. Who would have thought a reminder of death could be so beautiful.

Her eyes gazed up before Rila could recite her story, wondering what tragedy this beautiful memorial was for.

Her shoulders sunk and her eyes blinked in surprise at the discovery.

"The Glass Tower," she almost whispered. Her once wonder filled eyes were instantly replaced with unreadable features.

"So you've heard of it?" Rila asked gently.

"Yeah…" Naomi mumbled. Her brown eyes danced over the names. Her heart sank and her gaze became sorrowful.

The Glass Tower had been an infamous act of terrorism against Starfleet. This beautiful building had completely been made of glass, every fibre, every wall, every floor. All glass. It was a popular tourist attraction and contained both modern and retro glass works (for all kinds of centuries). It had been on its year anniversary that the act took place. A Federation ambassador had been there to head the celebration, he had been the target. The entire tower was reduced to rumble by the explosion, dooming thousands. So many innocent people had been caught in the crossfire of that hit… including children.

What added to the horror was that the perpetrator had never been caught. Given there were no follow up incidents many assumed that they had been made to discretely disappear… forever.

They incident had shaken the world… hell the universe. Everyone knew about the incident, it was hard to ever forget it…

Rila nodded and watched the names, "It sickening to think that the person who did this could still be out there… somewhere…"

Naomi didn't reply as she gazed at the names in silence. Not matter the beauty of the memorial, the sight of it filled her with pure melancholy. It shrunk her into a pit of silence as she stared with unblinking eyes at the memorial.

Rila quickly looked to her friend with small concern. The memorial had clearly struck a chord with the security officer. Maybe this hadn't been a good idea.

"Everything alright?" Rila dared to ask.

Naomi blinked, almost forcing something out of her eyes. Something Rila couldn't help but notice.

"Yeah…. I'm good," Naomi looked to Rila giving her a small half smile.

A frown lit up Rila's brow. She wasn't convinced but she chose not to question it. Gently she did the only thing she could think of… distract her friend from whatever dark hole her mind was dragging her into.

"I guess we're not the only ones paying a visit here today," Rila gently nudged Naomi and nodded behind her.

A slender woman had gently slowed not too far away. She was dressed head to toe in black, and it was clear she didn't want to be disturbed. The large hood on her jacket was pulled over her head, concealing the majority of her face. She seemed to have not noticed Naomi and Rila. Her own gaze was fixed on the glass memorial seeming to be lost in thought.

"Huh?" Naomi muttered turning to where Rila nodded. Almost as if being snapped out of a trance, the concealed woman caught Naomi's gaze with her own. It felt like that moment had been frozen in time, but it only lasted a few seconds before the women turned and left. But those few moments were enough to cause a change in the atmosphere.

When Rila next looked at her friend, she appeared frozen in place. The colour had drained for her face and she had stopped moving, maybe even breathing for a few seconds. Her eyes were widened in a mixture of shock, disbelief and was that… fear?

"Naomi?" Rila gently urged in confusion.

Naomi didn't reply for a moment, still frozen in place until… she snapped, now suddenly all business. She looked to Rila, "Stay here. I'll be right back."

Without even gauging for a response, she was gone. Rila watched in confusion, before calling after her.

"Reed wait! Where are you going?"

Naomi didn't reply as she disappeared from sight.

"Damn it…" Rila mumbled. No way was she being told to stay put. Ignoring Naomi's instructions, Rila stalked after her. Little did she know she would come to regret that decision.

But it was too late.

Rila was stopped with a sharp crash into her head. She had no time to react before her world went black…

* * *

Slam. A fist connected with a stone wall, causing a bang and sharp pain in the knuckles. But Naomi didn't care. She lost her. The mysterious women from the garden…

She had been so sure. It was her. No one else had those eyes that face… She could never forget it. But how was she here? And if she was here…. What was she up to?

The thought terrified Naomi and shrunk her back into silence.

Beep! Beep!

Naomi visibly jumped at the sound, her heart racing into action. She instantly settled… her communicator. No doubt it was Rila… she could tell the doctor had questions. Questions she wasn't sure she was ready to answer…

Rolling her eyes, knowing she was about to get an earful for the Brit. Calming herself, she pulled it out and flicked the communicator open.

"If you going to give me a lecture, then go ahead if it makes you feel better…" Naomi sighed.

"Seems you may have to wait for that lecture."

Naomi froze. That wasn't Rila. That voice… it couldn't be….

"Who is this?" Naomi answered, trying to keep the rising panic out of her words.

"I believe you already know that the answer to that question Naomi."

The blood in Naomi's veins turned to ice. There was no question about it… that was her. Gulping back her fear, Naomi turned it into anger.

"What have you done with Rila you son-of-a-bitch!" Naomi hissed out venomously. Rila shouldn't be involved in this… she shouldn't.

"Oh she's taking a small nap… we've got so much to discuss."

"Leave her out of this! This is between us, she doesn't need to get involved!" Naomi snapped back. Her body was trembling in fear but her face was a picture of raw anger.

"Oh Naomi… you got her involved when you befriended her."

Her hand was grasping the communicator tightly now. Damn her! Damn her to hell! She couldn't get away with this… she couldn't have Rila's life being risked because of her stupid mistakes.

"But I'll give you a chance."

Naomi's ears perked up at that. She became sceptical. "Chance what kind of chance?"

"I'll be in touch…. Oh and if you think about telling your little Starfleet buddies, she's as good as dead. See you soon Naomi." With that the communicator was reduced to silence.

"Hello! Hello! What chance?" Naomi yelled down it. But nothing. No reply. No reassurance that Rila was alive or okay. Nothing. Naomi knew well enough that she wouldn't go back on her words. If she mentioned any of this to anyone… even to Jim or Bones… Rila would be dead.

The mere thought of that reduced her to despair.

"AHHH!"

She let out a high pitch cry, throwing her communicator to the ground before falling to her knees. Rila's life was now in her hands…. If she failed and didn't follow through with the plan…. Rila would be dead.

She never wanted to go down that road again… she swore she wouldn't be. But if it was her only chance to save Rila what choice did she have?

* * *

_**A/N- Gonna split this one into at least a couple of chapters. Don't hate me ^^ **_


	11. Monsters We Hide Part 2

**Monsters We Hide (Part 2)**

Pain. It felt like her head was splitting in two. Everything was still black for a moment, just the thought of opening her eyes felt like too much of a strain. But Rila Kirza forced that back as she opened them to the world.

She winced, her surroundings were just mere blurry images. It took a few moments before everything came into focus. Her unconscious form had been imprisoned, trapped in some rusted old cell. Rila frowned, where the hell was she? What had happened?

Everything was a blur after Naomi had taken off. The last thing she remembered was charging after her. Then…. Nothing.

She placed a hand to her head as she slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position. In response her head swam with dizziness and pain. Closing her eyes for a moment, Rila gained her composure. Forcing herself to her feet with determination, Rila focussed. She needed to access her situation and come up with a plan. It was clear that she was in some kind of trouble, but how deep? How dangerous? And how was she getting herself out of it?

Placing her hands on the bars of cell, she tugged gently. The bars may have been old and rusty but they stood firm there was no way she was going to break through. Frowning, she lost herself in thought. What would Naomi do in a situation like this? She'd broken out of a number of cells in her lifetime and was no stranger to being imprisoned. Sure Naomi could be reckless, but Rila would be damned if she didn't admit she was resourceful.

She needed to access all of her surroundings properly. Peering out the bars Rila took a look around the room outside.

It was dark, barely any light was cast through the room providing her with little to look at. Looking ahead of her, she spotted some stairs leading upwards where she guessed the door was firmly locked. It seemed she was in some kind of basement. She allowed herself to smirk a little. Naomi would no doubt have made some horror movie reference right around now.

Furrowing her brow in thought, Rila brought her mind to the lock. Maybe she could attempt to pick it? She blinked…. But what with?

She was limited on resources in this cell and it wasn't as if she had anything on her. She could feel the loose weight in the pockets of her jacket… everything had been removed… including her communicator. No chance she could call for help now.

What this person wanted with her, she didn't know. At this point that worried her and left her brain racing. But she couldn't show fear, not now… not in the face of a sure-fire enemy.

Clunk!

The door at the top of the stairs opened and Rila could instantly feel their presence. Footsteps gently hit each step. There was no rush to their tone, almost if they were purposely taking their time. The wait of anticipation weighed on Rila as the footsteps came forever closer. Her captor was approaching. It was time to learn what the hell they wanted. Surely they didn't want her dead…. At least not yet. So what was it?

Rila held her breath as she caught sight of the figure reaching the bottom of the stairs. It was a woman. Her slender figure gave her away. But something about her caused Rila to frown in confusion. It was odd, there was something a little familiar about her but she couldn't place. It was when she moved closer that is became clearer to her. She was still dressed exactly the same as Rila remembered. It was the woman from the park. The one that Naomi had charged after, except this time her face was no longer hidden underneath a hood.

Age hadn't been kind to her, winkles lined her face and her once full black locks didn't hold as much youth as they once did. But judging from her bright sparkling green eyes, this woman wasn't as aged as her appearance would fool you to think. She held a small smirk on her lips. Whatever she had planned she was clearly enjoying herself. Why did they always have to smile like that? Rila thought. It just added to the snide, smirking, moustache curling villain stereotypes. An image she could really do without in this situation.

She approached Rila, eyes now fixed on her.

"Ahh I see you're finally awake. I was beginning to wonder if I'd actually bashed your brains in… now that would be bad for business," she began, moving closer until she was situated directly in-front of Rila's cage.

"And what kind of business would that be?" Rila scowled at her, wary of her captor.

The woman chuckled, "Just as curious as Naomi I see."

She paced backwards slightly, her lips curling up into a wider and more unsettling smile.

Rila frowned, "So you know Reed?"

"Yes I've known her for some time. But you've probably already figured that out," she tilted her head slightly.

Just as Rila easily guessed, Naomi knew this woman. Naomi's reaction to her in the memorial gardens gave that much away already. Naomi's past had come back to bite her on the ass again. And once more Rila was being dragged along with it. Not that she minded. Naomi was her best friend. But her past was messy and didn't bode well for either of them.

"What do you want from Reed?" Rila enquired, her tone calm but her gaze fiercely protective.

"Business of course. All good business starts with a trade, whether it's products or services."

"So I'm the product up for trade. I suppose Reed is the product you're trading for."

The woman stopped, almost paused mid-thought by her sentence. Then her face lit up as she began to laugh uncontrollably. Rila kept her face blank as she hid her anger. Being mocked or patronized was something she couldn't stand. Just because she had the height of a child, didn't mean she wanted to be treated like one.

Once the woman had finally settled, she replied.

"If I wanted Naomi, I would have grabbed her. No… I need her services."

Rila froze. Naomi had sworn that she would never go back to that. She couldn't be the reason Naomi went down that road again. There were still some at Starfleet who were just waiting for her to slip up. This would surely tip them over the edge and there would be nothing left that Jim could do to keep her out of prison. This woman was going to do the unthinkable… destroy everything Naomi had built. Some of the crew would never trust her again. The rest would be helpless as they watched Naomi rot in prison.

Rila had no idea what she had planned but it would be huge… especially for her to use Rila as a bargaining chip for Naomi. It sickened her to think what she might have planned for Naomi.

"You want to destroy her…. Destroy everything she's built and worked for!" Rila couldn't hide the fierce anger gripping her voice. Naomi had worked so hard to put her past behind, to make a fresh start.

The woman blinked at Rila then began to descend into chuckling once more. "Built? All she has ever done is hide what she truly is!"

Suddenly she was at the cage, face inches from Rila's and her eyes wide with maddened fury. "Are you sure you really know Naomi Reed at all? If you really knew her, you'd know that this life she has now… she never deserved it!"

Rila scowled at her, refusing to be intimidated, "And you know the 'real' Naomi Reed?"

The woman blinked at her unbelieving and slightly questioning gaze. She shook her head, turning away for a moment.

"Of course she would never have told you about us… it was once Nexus and Naomi Reed surviving the world," Nexus almost seemed melancholic and sad for a moment. Almost as she was thinking sombrely of what her and Naomi apparently once had.

But it didn't last long as she turned back to Rila, wicked rage in her eyes.

"I helped her survive, to live and you know how she repaid me?" Nexus flared angrily.

Rila didn't reply. Instead she opted to remain silent. Her eyes were unblinking and distrusting.

Nexus stepped close once more. Gripping her hand at the top of her coat, she tugged down. In the motion she exposed her flesh to Rila.

Rila could help but wince a little. The top of her chest was heavily scarred, almost like someone had burned the flesh. Rila had seen something similar… it was clearly this woman had been shot straight in the chest by a blaster. A blow that should have been fatal… unfortunately for Rila, Nexus' wound hadn't been.

"Your dear Naomi Reed tried to kill me in cold blood!" Nexus cried, her eyes narrowed into deep slits at this point.

Rila looked at the wound. Sure she had no doubt that Naomi could have potentially done this… but no. The Naomi Reed she knew would never go through with shooting some so mercilessly… right?

She shook her head. This Nexus was trying to play her, turn her against Naomi. No way was she letting that happen.

Luckily Rila didn't have to wait for Nexus to respond to her silence. A sound… a communicator was buzzing within Nexus' jacket.

That sound… it was Rila's communicator. She knew it anywhere.

Nexus pulled the communicator out of the depths of her jacket. Instantly she flipped it open and it didn't even take seconds for the person calling to speak.

"I'll do it Nexus. Just tell me what I need to do."

Rila froze she knew that voice.

"Naomi…" she breathed.

Nexus grinned once more, "Excellent. Then I believe we have business to discuss."

"Wait!"

Naomi's voice stopped Nexus' train of thought.

"I want to talk to Rila… please."

Rila felt her heart shatter. She hadn't heard that tone in Naomi's voice for a long time. The Lieutenant was afraid. Whoever this Nexus was she had Naomi on edge and fearful. Rila didn't like that…

Nexus looked to Rila, pausing.

"Fine. You have two minutes." With those words, she half passed half threw the communicator into Rila's hands.

Rila caught it regardless and let worry cloud her gaze.

"Reed what's going on?"

"Rila… thank god. Are you alright? Are you hurt at all?"

"I'm fine. Nothing I can't sleep off. Now what the bloody hell is going on?"

"Rila listen to me. I can't explain everything right now… but I need you to stay safe. Don't try anything okay. Don't try to help the situation… it'll just make it worse."

"Reed please! Whatever it is she's getting you to do… please don't. You don't need to do that for me."

"Of course I do! Now sit tight… I'll fix this and it'll all be over soon. I promise."

"Reed…"

"Stay safe Rila. I need you to stay safe for me okay? Promise me!"

"I promise Naomi."

Their conversation was quickly cut there as Nexus snatched up the communicator.

"Well then Naomi, it seems we've come to agreement yes?" Nexus questioned her.

"Yes. As long as you keep up your end of the deal," Naomi voice was slightly fierce now, masking her once fearful tone.

"Of course. No harm shall come to Rila Kirza as long as you do as I ask."

"Good. Then shall we discuss business?"

"Yes," Naomi's answer was simple.

Rila didn't hear much more. As soon as the business discussions began, Nexus was gone. Disappearing back up the stairs and leaving Rila closed in darkness once more. Sure she had made a promise to Naomi, to stay safe. But she couldn't just sit here. She needed a way out, if you had any hope of saving Naomi Reed from the fate Nexus had in store for her.

* * *

Supplies. That was the one word within Naomi Reed's mind as she began tearing apart her lab. A small knapsack in hand, Naomi began throwing a variety of items inside. She needed to plan for every single scenario. No way was this going to go smoothly. It never did. It had been years since she'd done something like this. It wasn't something she ever expected to ever do again.

But right now, she had no other options. She didn't take Nexus threat lightly. She needed to do this… for Rila.

Satisfied that she had everything she needed, she swung the bag over her shoulder. Taking one quick look over her shoulder, she sighed. This was it… there was no going back now. Forcing unreadable features onto her face she began her march through the corridors of the Enterprise.

Luckily the halls were empty, leaving her with little to no eyes questioning her get up and fierce march. She didn't stop, just continued straight ahead. Any minute she was convinced she might be stopped.

How was she going to explain herself? Her get-up alone would raise questions. And Rila Kirza's absence more so…

Ignoring the pestering thoughts, she marched on. It wasn't until she reached the Shuttle Bay, she felt her body relax a little. No stops. Perfect.

Once the turbolift doors opened, she was out. Marching through the various shuttles, knowing exactly which one she was looking for. She couldn't exactly use a Starfleet shuttle… it would raise too many questions. She needed something more discreet…

Her eyes focussed on her target at last. The ship from the Mudd incident. Perfect!

Picking up her pace, Naomi began to navigate her way towards it. Sure multiple pilots and operators were more ideal… but Naomi couldn't afford that luxury. Especially when the price was Rila's life.

"Reed!"

She froze, pausing in her tracks for a moment. Shit… she had been spotted. And what made matters worse… she instantly recognised that voice.

Gulping, she picked up her pace again. Pretending she hadn't heard them and continued on her way. She couldn't be stopped. There would be too many questions… questions she couldn't answer.

"Hey Lassie slow down!"

Can't stop… she couldn't stop. She pressed on… praying they wouldn't stop her. She didn't need this. Not now.

Too late.

The Scotsman had caught up, slipping in front of her and stopping her immediately. She froze, feeling the presence of another behind her. Turning slowly, she caught sight of Leonard McCoy. He was panting a little from chasing after her, an eight-of-hearts clasped in his hand. Clearly Scotty had persuaded the doctor to join him for a round of poker.

"Why the rush Lassie?" Scotty questioned, looking at her puzzled.

Naomi didn't know how to respond. Why did they have to be here? Especially Leonard! Just seeing him reminded her of Rila, trapped and imprisoned by Nexus.

"Reed?" Leonard raised an eyebrow at Naomi's silence.

Naomi blinked, "I was just finishing up some shuttle repairs…."

Her lie was pathetic, she knew that. But it was all she could think of.

"You finished your repairs yesterday lass, remember?" Scotty replied.

Naomi froze then forced a smile on her face. "Right of course! Silly me!"

Leonard frowned at her deeply. Naomi wasn't someone to forget something like that. Something was wrong.

"Reed, what's going on?" Leonard questioned.

"Huh? Nothing that I'm aware of. All the days must be starting to blend into one," she faked her innocence.

"Right…" Scotty nodded. Just like Leonard, he didn't believe her. Something was up.

"I bet take these back," Naomi mumbled, indicating her bag.

She turned almost to leave. But what she did next took the two men by surprise.

With what seemed like little remorse. Naomi slammed into the doctor, knocking him to his backside. Turning around quickly, Naomi smashed her bag into Scotty. Using it almost as weapon. Unprepared, Scotty collapsed to his side. Not taking any chances, Naomi sprinted for the ship.

Leonard cried out in surprise as he slammed down hard onto his backside. What the hell was she playing at? Scrambling to his feet and ignoring the pain in his backside, Leonard sprinted after her with Scotty not far behind.

"Reed get back here!" he yelled away her.

Ignoring them, Naomi scrambled up the ramp of Mudd's ship.

Leonard was just on her heel. But he was too late.

Bang!

The ship's door slammed and locked before him. Leaving Naomi completely encased inside.

"Reed! What the hell is this!" Leonard shouted, slamming his fist on the ship's door.

"Lass, what the hell are you doing!" Scotty added to the yelling.

Naomi gulped and her face fell as she tried her best to ignore them. She hated to do that to them but she didn't have a choice. Throwing her bag down, she situated herself into the pilot's seat and began starting up the ship. Time for take-off.

"Damn it man! Open the damn door!" Leonard screeched, clearly hearing the beginnings of the engine.

Naomi closed her eyes and felt her heart drop. Raising her voice, she finally replied, "I can't do that Bones."

"Lass whatever's going on, you can talk to us! We can figure it out!" Scotty answered, banging his fist on the door for good measure.

"Not this time Scotty." Naomi paused taking a sharp breath. She started up the engine and plotted her course. The ship beneath her roared into life.

Taking the last opportunity she could, she called out to Leonard and Scotty.

"I'm sorry… tell Jim I'm sorry."

With those last words, the ship rose and Naomi took off out of the Shuttle Bay, disappearing into the depths of space. She didn't know if Leonard and Scotty had heard her. But at this point she was too focussed on the mission at hand. She just hoped someday they would forgive her for what she was about to put them through.

* * *

"She did what now?"

"Took off, didn't even tell us where she was going."

"That doesn't make sense… why would Veed do that?" Pavel Chekov blinked at his crewmates with confused eyes. Leonard and Scotty had searched for them all desperately, gathering them together to come up with some kind of plan. Jim and Spock were still caught up in the summit, which left the rest of the command crew to gather and figure this out.

Leonard didn't dare attempt to contact either of them. He knew some of the Federation were just waiting for Naomi to slip up… he couldn't risk that… not until they had the full story.

One thing that bothered him more about the situation… they had successfully found Uhura, Chekov, Sulu and Carol….

But no Rila.

She'd be the first to notice something wrong with Naomi. Where the hell was she?

"No idea Lad and that's what worries me…" Scotty trailed off.

"The Captain has no idea does he?" Sulu asked, looking to Leonard.

Leonard slightly scowled in response, "Why do you think we called you all here."

"Clearly all of us didn't show," Carol mumbled. She had picked up on it too. Rila's absence. They could all sense it. Naomi was Rila's best friend, she have every reason to be here. So where was she? All contact they had tried was met with silence. Even Leonard's attempts were met with the same response.

Something was horribly wrong… They could sense it.

"What exactly did Reed say to you?" Uhura questioned. Despite the repeats of the tale, the Lieutenant wanted to be thorough.

Scotty sighed, "She refused to stop or explain herself… said she couldn't"

Uhura blinked thoughtfully. Their friend was in trouble.

"She also apologised… she wanted to apologise to Jim," Leonard mumbled pinching the bridge of his nose.

The group froze a little and frowned.

Carol asked the question they were all dying to.

"Apologise for what?"

Leonard sighed, his face a picture of worry, "I don't know and that's what worries me."

They all slipped into silence.

"Doctor Kivza would know… wouldn't she?" Chekov asked, his face becoming a little hopeful.

Sulu looked to his friend, sad to shut down his hope. "She would… but she isn't here."

"That's what also worries me," Leonard mumbled frowning.

They all frowned in turn, it didn't just worry Leonard. Naomi clearly wasn't the only one they were concerned about. If their Head of Security was neck deep in trouble, there was no doubt about it. Rila Kirza must be neck deep in trouble beside her.

"The lassies are in trouble again, aren't they?" Scotty asked with genuine concern but little surprise, looking to Leonard.

"Certainly looks that way," Leonard sighed, meeting Scotty's gaze.

Little more words were exchanged as Sulu and Uhura rose from their seats, determination in the gazes. Without any more words they headed for the door.

Scotty looked up at them.

"If Reed and Kirza are in trouble then we need to do something," Uhura said turning to them.

Chekov blinked, "Like report it?"

"That's not what we're saying," Sulu answered.

Leonard nodded. Of course not… officially they should and would report it. But this was Naomi and Rila.

Without a word, the crew rose in silent agreement, following after Uhura and Sulu. They needed a plan and quickly, before Naomi did something she couldn't return back from…

* * *

Bang!

Rila Kirza grimaced as her knuckles cried out in pain. Maybe punching the metal bars in frustration was not her smartest move. But being cooped down in this cell with no light and mere silence, it was beginning to drive her mad. Especially when Naomi was out there doing who knows what to keep her safe. Her face pulled down into a frown. What had Nexus sent her to do? Given Naomi's voice on the other end of the communicator, she could immediately gather one thing. Whoever Nexus was, whatever she had done, Naomi was terrified by her. Nexus had her cornered with little options…

If Rila wasn't in this damn cage, she grabbed the bars and gave a small scream. Quiet enough to not draw attention, but enough for her to vent out a little frustration. A grimace crossed her features as her knuckles throbbed again. Punching cage bars, that was a Naomi move not hers. Her best friend was really rubbing off on her and she wasn't entirely sure if it was totally a bad thing.

The doctor was quickly startled by the sound of the upstairs door unlocking. She frozen, Nexus was back. A morbid thought of Naomi not succeeding or her motionless corpse lying on the floor above her crossed her mind. She shook her head. No she needed to have faith in her.

The footsteps clunked down the steps more heavily than any previous she had heard. It was her first indication that something wasn't quite right. Rila looked to the stairs and blinked back in surprise. That silhouette… she knew it anywhere. Rushing to the bars, she looked out as the silhouette approached.

"Reed is that you?" Rila cried out.

Sure enough, Naomi Reed stopped right before Rila instantly reaching for the bars. Now that her dear friend was right in front of her, Rila couldn't hold back her surprise. Naomi had a small limp in her stride. Her face was covered in scrapes and bruises, her left eye in particular looked like it was going to leave a nasty black bruise. Her knuckles was red and raw, and her lip was split.

Rila had become a little accustomed to her bar brawl appearance, it had happened on a few occasions. But her limp concerned her, that meant that could be a more serious problem…

"Rila!" Naomi couldn't help but smile as she rested her hands on the bars of the cage, the only thing blocking the two friends.

"Are you alright?"

Rila blinked and nodded, "What about you?"

She couldn't help but point out the bruises.

"This?" Naomi shrugged her injuries off, "Just ran into a few issues…. But not that that is something to be concerned about."

Rila raised an eyebrow before blinking in question, "What did she have you do?"

"That's nothing to worry about Rila."

"Reed it is! Especially if she's dragging you into your old ways!"

"Rila just stop okay!" Naomi snapped angrily, shocking Rila a little, "I need you safe, can't you understand that?"

Rila fell into silence and blinked at Naomi. She shouldn't have to do this… especially for her.

"Safe. Isn't that such a pitiful word?"

Rila and Naomi froze from their reunion. The softness behind Naomi's eyes quickly vanished. All that remained was a hard, cold stare.

"Do you real believe in anything as naïve as safety? Did you learn nothing from our time together Naomi?"

An icy glare shot from Rila's eyes, aimed straight for Nexus. She had drifted her way into the room, bringing with her an atmosphere of dread.

Her eyes soften a little as they looked to read Naomi. The woman didn't reply to Nexus, instead her gaze fell to the ground. Hands were balled into fists and she didn't dare raise her head to meet Rila's gaze. Initially it looked as if she was calming her anger, but no… there was something else. Sorrow? Or maybe it was shame?

Of course Nexus noticed her silent reply.

"I've been having a little chat with Doctor Kirza here will you were gone."

Naomi's blood turned to ice. How much had Nexus told her?

This time she turned and faced Nexus, refusing to be swayed from her goal.

"I did what you asked. Now it's time for you to hold up your end," Naomi spoke sternly, voiding emotion from her voice, expect for one.

Pure hatred.

Nexus shook her head in mock disbelief, "What's your rush Naomi? I thought we could reminisce about the good old days."

"My rush is you holding my best friend hostage. Now let her go and we'll be out of your hair," Naomi tried to keep her rising anger in check. But she was growing impatient. Rila needed to be safe, but Nexus held all the cards. Even if she attempted a rescue right here and now… it wouldn't be enough. Nexus always had a back-up plan.

A smile lit up Nexus' face and she shook her head once more, "You really think I'm done with you? That's almost laughable."

It was a mistake. She knew it was a mistake but Naomi was at her wits end. A roar erupted from her throat. Nexus would never be done. It was time to end this permanently. Rushing forward, she charged.

Unfortunately for her, Nexus anticipated her. Her charge was cut short as Nexus slammed into her injured leg knocking her balance. Taking her arm into a vice like grip, Nexus flipped her over her head, forcing her down.

Naomi crashed onto her back with a crunch. She gasped as the air left her lungs, her eyes widening in surprise. Before she even had chance to recover, a foot slammed down at the base of her neck cutting off her oxygen supply. She panicked hands reaching from the ankle, holding onto it hopelessly. Unable to remove it.

"After everything you did, do you really think this was just over with one simple job? I am not finished with you! You know exactly what you deserve!" Nexus' face was a pit of rage.

Rila watched, unable to speak. The woman looked murderous and out for blood. Was she going to kill her?

"Then… finish… i..it."

Naomi's voice was barely more than a whisper, but the words still struck home. Those brown eyes that had once been filled with joy just hours ago, were a mess. There was a sternness to her gaze, but underneath you could see a hint of desperation and recognition. Almost like she was accepting that this was what she deserved.

Nexus eyes meet hers but she didn't flinch or back down. It just seemed to deepen her resolve.

"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you? The heroic sacrifice to save a friend. A chance to redeem yourself." Nexus just seemed amused by the prospect.

"Death would be too good for you," these words she spat before releasing Naomi. Naomi curled onto her side, coughing and spluttering as she regained herself. Fighting for oxygen to hit her lungs whilst the room around her span. Part of her threatened to black out, but she pushed it aside.

Nexus turned away. Her boots clunked as she walked closer to Rila's cell.

"You're my asset Naomi," Nexus spoke as she walked. She stopped just inches from Rila. The doctor held her ground, keeping her emotions hidden from her features. Except her eyes. They will filled with everything she refused to express before Nexus. Her anger, her concern… her fear.

Naomi pushed herself up slightly, still recovering from Nexus' assault. She looked up at her and Rila from her position on the floor.

"Asset?" she spluttered, a little confused.

"My strike from within Starfleet," Nexus stated with a wicked grin.

Naomi's eyes widened, instantly knowing what she had in mind. She felt herself wanting to run. To just get up and run, screw the consequences. She couldn't… not again.

But Rila.

Naomi looked to her friend, her eyes still wide before resting back on Nexus. Pure horror beginning to hit her features.

"Oh please Naomi, there's no need to look like that. After all it wouldn't exactly be your first time," Nexus taunted.

Rila looked to Nexus and couldn't hide her confused frown. Drifting, she caught Naomi's gaze who only looked quickly away. Naomi's brown eyes hit the floor in immediate shame.

Nexus caught this and couldn't help but rattle the cage further.

"She never told you did she?" she looked between Rila and Naomi.

Naomi continued to look at the floor, wishing she could disappear right now. Rila blinked at Nexus questioningly. Told her what?

She looked to Naomi, hoping for an answer. But it was clear she wouldn't be providing her with one.

"They never really found the culprit to the Glass Tower incident…." Nexus began.

Rila's blue eyes widened a little in surprise. The Glass Tower incident? Why would she be bringing that up? Unless…

Rila looked to Naomi then back Nexus.

"Haven't you ever wondered who was responsible for all the deaths of those people? Those children?" she emphasized the word children, knowing exactly what kind of reaction it would elicit.

Rila's gaze became that of disbelief, even she couldn't hide it. She couldn't help but look over to Naomi. No way. The Naomi Reed she knew wouldn't dare… Maybe Nexus was right. Maybe she really didn't know her. Rila shook her head.

No.

This is what Nexus wanted, to play mind games with her. She looked defiantly at Nexus, refusing to let her manipulation hit.

"You really think I'm the only monster in the room?" Nexus questioned, refusing to back down.

Rila glared back, her face unreadable except for her anger.

"That's enough!" Naomi's voice was rasping, but it still commanded some power. Her voice grabbed their attention.

"Maybe you forgot what I said that day, but I don't." Naomi paused, coughing a little as she pulled herself to her feet.

"Never again," she concluded, eat word was hissed out venomously but also announced like a promise.

The words struck silence in the room for a moment. But it didn't last. Once again, that shit eating grin lit up Nexus face. Without mercy, she plunged her hand through the bars of the cage. That very hard took Rila by the throat, lifting her off her feet. It threatened to squeeze the very life out of her.

Rila pounded against the hand, but she couldn't compete with Nexus' strength. She gasped, fighting for any air she could.

"I think your forgetting who's in charge here!" Nexus shrieked in fury. It reminded Rila almost of the witch in Hansel and Gretel when she finally revealed her terrifying nature to the children.

Naomi's eyes widened in shock. She made to charge for Nexus, but one look from her told her what she needed to know. If she took another step closer, she would break Rila's neck there and then.

"Let her go!" Naomi cried.

"You're in no position to make demands! Now you do as I tell you or I may just have to break this pretty little one's neck!" Nexus made her point clear as she slightly tightened her grip on Rila, causing her to gasp sharply.

"Okay! Okay! Just stop, I'll do whatever you want! Just let her go! Please!" Naomi pleaded, falling to her knees. In that very moment and for the first time in a long time… she was truly helpless.

Nexus' fury diminished as a smirk lit her lips. In an instant, she let go of Rila leaving her to drop like a stone. Knees hit the ground as Rila curled over, coughing and gasping for air.

"Good good Naomi, I'm glad you came to your senses." Nexus laughed as she strode towards Naomi like a predator that had her prey trapped. Reaching down, she held Naomi's chin in her fingertips. Pulling her head up, she forced Naomi to look at her.

"I always knew one day you'd come crawling back, back where you truly belong."

Naomi didn't say a word, instead she looked up at Nexus in despair. She'd lost. This was her downfall. Truthfully, she always partly pictured herself going down in a blaze of glory protecting her crew. But the optimistic part of her hoped… maybe even prayed of growing old. Visiting Rila and Bones in some grand house. Have to keep Jim's days busy after being forced into retirement by Starfleet. She wanted to grow old. Really everyone did. No one envisions their life crashing down so early.

But maybe she'd been fooling herself for too long.

Seeing that she had accepted her fate, Nexus released her chin. She granted her one small kindness. One last goodbye.

"Make it quick. We have business to discuss," with those words, Nexus left Naomi and Rila in a room of silence.

The two remained where they were, both on their knees and desperate. Naomi didn't know what to say. This would probably be the last time she would ever see her best friend.

Rila spoke first, her voice soft and rasping, "Reed?"

Naomi didn't reply, didn't even look at her.

"Naomi look at me."

Naomi gulped and rose to her feet. She wanted to just disappear up the stairs without another word. But even she knew that would be too cruel.

She made her way over to Rila, lowering herself to her knees to meet Rila on her level. A hand hit the cage, gripping the bars. Naomi blinked at it and understood. Without a word, she placed a hand on top of Rila's. There was silence again.

"I'm sorry."

Rila blinked at Naomi, registering her words. Those brown eyes were becoming blurred by tears, tears Naomi didn't even try to fight. A few slipped out, running down her cheeks.

"This isn't how I wanted things to end… but maybe it's exactly how it should. I'm just sorry you got caught in it."

Naomi's words hit Rila and her harden features broke, her eyes soften and her heart breaking as she watched her friend before her.

"Naomi…" was all she could muster, unsure what she could possibly say to bring any comfort.

"Monsters don't get happy endings Rila." Naomi looked up meeting her gaze. Tears spilled down her face, a perfect vision of regret, sorrow and acceptance.

Rila shook her head, her own tears filled her eyes. "I've seen monsters. And you are not among them."

Naomi almost laughed. Almost. "I thought you were realist not an optimist."

"No. But I know when you're being an idiot."

Naomi sniggered a little, but it didn't stop her tears. "Well you'll only have one of those to deal with soon."

Simultaneously, the two women closed their conversation. Foreheads leaned against one another, hands were gripped tight. There was nothing more they could say. Rila knew there was no stopping Naomi, no saving her… not this time. But she still believed in her. She wasn't perfect. She had made mistakes. But none of that would dampen her love for her. Naomi's mind was wrapped in guilt and anxiety for what she had to do. She wanted to stay in this moment, stay beside Rila for hours. Stay beside someone who still believed that deep down Naomi was a good person.

But that moment couldn't last. Naomi pushed away from her, knowing if she stayed any longer she would never leave… condemning them both. She turned, tears still running down her cheeks. Quickly, she made her way out the room. Refusing to look back at the sister she was leaving behind.

Rila watched her go. She wanted to call her name, yell it. But she knew it would just make this harder. All she could do was watch as her friend signed off her life, all in the name of protecting her. And there wasn't a single thing she could do about it.

_**A/N- **__Sorry to have kept you all waiting, and sorry for the feels. I've decided to expand on this one more than I originally planned, so yes there will be a Part 3, which will be in the works and hopefully up soon. I hope this chapter turned out okay. Reviews are always welcome. JUST NO FLAMES, be polite. Thanks and stay tuned. _


	12. Monsters We Hide Part 3

_**A.N: Sorry to keep you waiting… this is the last part. Probably not my best in places, but hope you like it. And this is a long one, so hope it was worth it ^.^**_

**Monsters We Hide Part 3**

Darkness and silence. It had been like that for some time. She had no idea how long it had been that way, but it felt like days had pasted. Rila Kirza hadn't moved an inch from her spot of the floor. She had come to accept the situation, leaving her face almost void of emotion. But her eyes gave her away, they were still red and watery. She had sobbed silently for her friend, accepting the harsh truth. That this was the end. Maybe Nexus would march down those steps, a smug smile on her lips.

Rila wasn't sure that Nexus would really let her go, free her. She'd probably end up dead or thrown somewhere where no one would care for her existence. Nexus didn't exactly seem like the type to just let her go… But maybe she was wrong. Maybe she would keep her end of the bargain for whatever she once had with Naomi.

She didn't keep her hopes high. This was highly likely to be the last thing she would see. A rusting jail cell in some basement, left to her demise. Sniffing a little Rila rubbed her red eyes and pulled her knees to her chest. If this was her last moment, she didn't want to look at this. She closed her eyes, her mind forming a picture of peace. She pictured the Enterprise. She pictured the work she'd left on her desk. The number of experiments that she'd only just had time to look through once more. Flicking through the papers and working away, she'd look up at the sound of footsteps. Of course it would be Leonard, a scowl on his face. He'd be muttering away about Jim, and Rila would sit there wondering what he had done this time to both anger and worry the doctor.

It felt like a normal day.

Shutting herself away from her current surroundings calmed her. It lessened her tears and sniffles. It erased her fears, she just had to focus. This was what she wanted to remember as her final moment, not the rusted filled cage.

She was ready.

CRASH!

Rila visibly jumped at the sound. Opening her eyes, Rila destroyed the images playing in her head. The room wasn't so silent anymore; she could hear yells and cries. It sounded like a damn bar brawl was happening directly above her head. Pulling herself to her feet, Rila looked up at the ceiling. Her eyes wide and questioning… what the hell was happening up there?

She dare not call out. For all she knew it could be anyone. But part of her was beginning to look hopeful. Maybe someone had finally noticed her and Naomi were missing? Maybe this was the rescue they needed?

Well it was time for her to find out.

"Rila! Rila where are you!"

She knew that voice anywhere.

"Leonard…" she breathed.

Gulping back the pain still present in her throat, she opened her mouth.

"Hello! Leonard? Leonard is that you?"

"It's us sweetheart! Where are you?"

Rila lips couldn't help but smile. The crew, they'd found her… that meant they still had a chance. A chance to save Reed.

"I'm down here!"

"Look here, there's a door!"

That was defiantly Uhura's voice. Damn, they'd all come looking for them.

"Rila, if you're anywhere near the door stand back okay!"

Bang! It was loud and caused Rila to cover her ears. The door above the stairs shattered and clattered down the steps. The small explosion caused Rila's ears to ring a little as she looked up.

Light shone through the door, it almost looked heavenly illuminating the steps beneath it. She blinked a little, the light being a little intense for her eyes. The minute the door was no longer a danger or blocking the light, footsteps hit the steps. There was an urgency to their pace, an urgency that she recognised.

She didn't even have a chance to breathe before…

"Rila!" Leonard McCoy called out rushing towards her. His hair was scruffy, a little dust lingering on his face. His brow was furrowed with worry as he threw himself towards her.

His hand planted firmly on the bars of the cage, his eyes scanning over her searching even inch of her. Rila lost herself looking at the man before her, almost in disbelief that maybe just maybe... hope was still alive after all.

His eyes locked on Rila's neck, blinked for a second before gently reaching his fingers through the bars. Fingertips brushed the bruises from Nexus' strangulation attempt. Rila winced involuntary, but still stood her ground.

Leonard turned away, yelling behind him, "Someone wanna open this damn thing!"

He was drawn back by a whisper, "Reed."

Immediately he was drawn back to Rila, her blue eyes were focussed off in the distance for a moment.

Slam!

Her hand banged down onto the bar, her gaze wide and alarmed.

"Reed! We have to help her!"

Leonard looked at her, startled, "What's happened?"

"There's no time to explain, we've wasted enough already. We need to help her!" Rila remained defiant.

"Alright, we will. Let's just get you out of here first okay," Leonard tried to ease her worries, but even he was getting a little frantic. He been worried out his mind about the two of them, and even though one was safe it did nothing to ease it. Naomi was his best friend damn it!

"We had to fight through a bunch of men up there, any idea who they were?" Leonard asked, trying to momentarily distract her.

Rila froze, looking to Leonard, "Wait…. Just men? No women or…. Woman?"

Leonard shook his head, confused.

"Shit…" Rila visibly cursed, "Then that means…."

She looked up to Leonard, breathing a single name, "Nexus."

* * *

_Eyes down, keep moving. Don't look anyone in the eye, don't let anyone stop you. Just keep going. Act naturally. Don't freak. Don't panic. You're doing this for Rila. Her life depends on this. Keep going. Don't let anyone ligger too long on your face. You can't explain your beaten up features. And even if you try, the lie will spin out too long and they'll get suspicious. You just need to blend in. Keep going. You're doing this for her. Think of her. She'll be safe if you do this. You have to. Don't stop. _

_Keep going._

The same thoughts drifted through Naomi Reed's mind. She had to keep her mind on the matter at hand. She couldn't dare think about what would come later. What would become of everyone. Of the betrayal they'd feel. She couldn't. She had to focus on Rila. This would guarantee her safety.

She was bundled up in her grey suited Starfleet uniform, her hat planted firmly on her head and tilted down to cover her face. The building the Summit was being held in was beautiful. If this was any other day, she would be admiring its simplicity and large glass windows. Each window allowed in rays of sunlight from the beautiful day outside. The large corridors were filled with various Starfleet officers, loyal Federation ambassadors and their associates. Federation flags lined the walls, a reminder of their promise of peace. The corridors and various halls were so alive with busy people, that no one paid Naomi any attention. Instead she just slipped through without a word. But the crowd just reminded her of what she was about to do. While her mind was trying to keep her focused, her body was slipping into panic.

Too many people. Her chest felt constricted, her palms sweating and her throat closing off. The constant flow of chatter was making her want to yell and scream at them to shut up. She needed quiet, she needed space.

Picking up her pace, Naomi abandoned her focus. She needed somewhere quiet. Somewhere without these voices. But the crowd felt thick, almost like a tide forcing her out to sea. Even though she fought, she was taking in more seawater and her breathing was beginning to hitch. The tide of people was getting thicker and louder. She was drowning. She couldn't breathe.

Too many people. Too many….

Was that a shoreline? Naomi blinked in disbelief. Forcing herself forward, she was out of the crowd. Stood before her was an empty balcony, overlooking the courtyard below. Moving forward, Naomi claimed it as her own and closed the glass doors behind her. Fresh air hit her lungs and in that moment she felt her chest become less constricted. Reaching out, she gripped the rail tightly. She'd promise never again, but now she was here… breaking that promise. Could she really do this?

Naomi gripped the railing tighter. She had to. If she didn't, Rila would be dead and that would be on her.

But god…

She didn't want to do this. As Spock would say _the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. _

But when had she ever abided by that? All her past crimes had been for one person… her mother. Now she was doing the same again. She had been cursed with caring too much, which had caused more pain than good. But her mother was family, as was Rila.

She had to do something. Even if that something was an unspeakable act.

"Naomi? That you?"

She froze. That voice. No, no, no… not now. She didn't need him here. No.

A figure slipped into view on her left, elbows resting on the same railing she was gripping to death. She didn't need to look at him to know who it was. His golden blonde hair would no doubt be combed neatly for formality; no hat would mess up that look. Instead it would be tucked under his arm. His face would be neutral and inviting, but behind those blue eyes would be a slightly frustrated and extremely bored man.

She didn't acknowledge him, her gaze still fixed ahead.

"Hey, earth to Naomi." Jim Kirk pressed, hoping to get some reaction out of his girlfriend.

Naomi couldn't help it, she had to look at him. But one look in her eyes and he'd see everything. Know that something was wrong.

Her brown gaze drifted towards him, connecting with his blue eyes for a moment. But a moment was all it took.

Jim blinked in confusion, his happy features disappearing and now replaced with concern.

"Hey, what's going on?"

Naomi felt his hand instantly reach for hers. Forcing herself, she moved it away before he could take it. This just made Jim more confused and concerned. She was vulnerable, he could see it. He could see the black eye forming and the split lip. Something was horribly wrong. But by now after everything they'd been through, they were honest about these things. They talked to each other, which at first was totally new for both of them. But it allowed them to be each other's rock. A rock that they could always lean on and never had to shy away from. But Naomi was closing herself off from him, something she hadn't done in a long time.

"Naomi, hey." He tried to catch her gaze, but she refused to look at him. Remaining silent.

"Naomi. What's going on? Talk to me." Jim just gently coaxed her.

Naomi gulped. She didn't want to see him, not now. She didn't want to have to say goodbye.

Looking up at Jim and meeting his gaze, she shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled before she quickly pulled herself up to his height. Taking her last chance, she pulled his face to hers. Her lips crashed into his, a moment of passion before…

She pulled away, gave him one last look.

"I love you."

With those words, she turned and sprinted away. This time she didn't care if people looked at her. It was time. She couldn't run away. She had to do this. For Rila. She just hoped maybe one day she'd get to see Jim Kirk and his beloved crew again.

* * *

"Okay so now we're here, what's the plan?" Uhura panted, skidding to halt. After their immediate rescue of Rila, they hadn't stopped. Rila had informed them of Nexus' plan and her manipulation of Naomi. They needed to get to the Summit, they needed to stop Naomi before she did something she couldn't walk away from. But that wasn't the only thing that alarmed Rila. Nexus had been absent which meant a number of things. Part of her hoped she'd left and was never coming back, but that could leave it open for her to ruin Naomi's life again. But no. She had a gut feeling, something only Naomi and Jim would initially rely on. Nexus was here.

They had arrived at the Summit, Rila refusing to be left behind. If the Summit was under threat, their best plan would be to handle it themselves. Especially if they had any chance of saving Naomi.

"We need to split up," Rila said before Sulu could respond. Her commanding tone surprised them, but they understood. This was Naomi Reed in danger after all.

"We need to find Nexus and Reed, and stop them before it's too late. I'll help look for Reed," Rila was about to rush off. Her love and concern for her friend outshining her logical strategizing.

Leonard caught her arm.

"Rila, wait! Maybe you should help lead the search for Nexus?" Leonard suggested, hating to draw her away from her friend.

"He's got a point lassie, you're the only one who knows what she looks like," Scotty added.

Rila sighed. Of course. He was right. It was the logical and smartest choice. She couldn't let her concern for Naomi get in the way of the most effective plan.

"Don't worry sweetheart. Me, Uhura and Scotty will find her," Leonard spoke softly to Rila, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Rila nodded, believing his words. She wasn't the only one concerned for her friend. They'd make sure she was safe.

"Okay, let's move then. And remember stay discrete." Sulu stated.

The group nodded as they split off.

Sulu took the lead with Rila, as they led Chekov and Carol to begin their search for Nexus. Whilst Bones, Uhura and Scotty took off in search of Naomi.

Rila cast a quick glance at Leonard before they slipped out of sight. The gaze said one thing…

Find her and bring her home.

* * *

_Shit. This isn't good. Why did she run off? And why was she hurt? Who hurt her? Who was it? Damn I'll…_

Jim Kirk couldn't stop his racing mind. The look of terror in Naomi's eyes, the bruises on her face… it haunted him. Something was so terribly wrong. He had to find her, wherever she was. What had happened?

And the way she kissed her. It was almost as if… she would never get another chance. The thought of that scared him. He had to find her, before it was too late.

Quickly moving his way through the crowds, he followed the route Naomi had taken. Sure he'd lost sight of her, but he hoped… no prayed that it would lead him to her. Sure enough, to his luck she'd been careless.

What once was a quick sprint had turned into a quick limp. Naomi had slowed down and he could finally see her. The corridor they were in was empty, this area of the building wasn't currently not being used for the Summit. But was still fairly close to the rooms and corridors being used.

Maybe that's why Naomi picked it.

"Naomi!" Jim cried out.

Naomi stopped her quick limp and turned back to the sound of his voice. Not again. Damn her injured leg! Damn it for slowing her down! She couldn't do this. Not with him here!

"No you can't be here! I said my goodbye now go! Just go away!" Naomi screamed at him. She needed him away from this, not here. God… not here.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Jim yelled back, gazing at her as he moved closer.

"No! Stay back!" Naomi startled him this time. Grasped tightly in her hand was a Starfleet standard issue phaser. From Jim's distance, he couldn't tell if she had set it to stun or kill… Wait why would he even think about this? Of course it would be stun… right?

Jim raised his hands in defence, but refused to back off. Instead he slowed his pace, "Naomi! It's alright! Just talk to me. Just tell me what's going on. We can figure this out."

Naomi shook her head, "No we can't." She noticed Jim getting closer and yelled once more, "Stay back! Don't think I won't use this!"

Jim stopped, "Okay. It's okay. No need for it to come to that. Naomi please, just talk to me."

His blue eyes bore into her and Naomi felt at a loss. What the hell was she doing? This was the man she loved. Why was she threatening him like this? Would she really pull the trigger? What terrified her was that she didn't even know.

Being so preoccupied in her thoughts, Jim had taken his chance as he moved closer. He was within a mere foot of her now.

Instantly Naomi sparked up once more, "Don't come any closer!"

Jim stopped and raised his hands again, "Okay. I won't."

Naomi watched him with wide eyes. He could see it. Whatever it was she was about to do, she didn't want to do it.

His blue eyes bore through her, cutting into her very soul. But it wasn't hateful or cruel, what bore through was unconditional kindness. It froze her to her core and shattered her heart. Again she found herself questioning her actions. What was she doing? After everything was this still who she was? A danger? A screw-up? A monster?

Jim could see her mind whirling, but choose not to take advantage of her preoccupied stated. Instead he waited, watching her unmoving. He placed his complete trust in her.

"Jim I…" Naomi stuttered, unable to say much. What could she say? That she was turning her back on the second chance he had given her? But what was her other option? Doom Rila?

"It'll be okay."

Naomi blinked up at Jim, startled a little. His voice was soft and gentle. "I'm not going to stop you Naomi but I'm not leaving."

"How is that okay!" Naomi snapped.

"Then at least you won't be alone," Jim answered in a heartbeat, his gaze unwavering.

Naomi's heart sank. She had been so used to dealing and handling things on her own for years. It was a lonely, internal battle but it was all she knew. She couldn't showcase her vulnerabilities as they would only be used to tear her down. But things were different now. With Jim she had an anchor, a support. For once she could showcase her vulnerabilities without fear. Jim listened, he understood. They were a team to the point they could show both their highs and lows. In return, Naomi had become Jim's anchor. They may share stubbornness, but they understood that sometimes they needed each other. And they always would.

This just made this much harder. She knew if she shared everything with Jim, here and now- he wouldn't judge her. And that sickened her. She was a monster, why couldn't they see that? No matter how she tried to change or redeem herself, that's what she would always be.

Brown eyes blinked, looking away from the man before her. Silence fell between them.

"Naomi," Jim almost whispered.

Naomi looked up, meeting his gaze. If she had any hope of saving him, this was her only choice. Raising her phaser, she prepared to stun the man before her.

A lone tear escaped her eyes, ruining down her face.

"I'm sorry Jim," Naomi mumbled, unable to draw her eyes away from him now.

Before Jim could open his mouth to utter any kind of response, they were interrupted.

"Reed stop!"

Naomi almost dropped the phaser in her hand in surprise. The two were caught off guard, as they both looked towards the source of the voice.

Naomi almost visibly cursed when she realised who it was. How had they found out?

Leonard was situated directly behind Jim, either side of him were Uhura and Scotty.

"Get out of here! All of you now!" Naomi boomed, unable to control her outburst. Not them too. Just no.

"Reed, you don't have to do this," Leonard spoke, "She's safe."

Naomi visibly frowned and blinked at Leonard in surprise.

"What did you just say?"

"She's safe Reed. Kirza's safe," Uhura replied to her question.

Brown eyes blinked in disbelief. Rila was safe? She was okay?

"Rila she's…"

"She's safe lass and out of harm's way," Scotty spoke, giving her a small smile.

Clatter. The phaser that was once in Naomi's hand hit the floor, the safety now on.

"Thank god," Naomi breathed in relief.

Jim took his chance, stepping forward taking Naomi gently by the shoulders. He gazed deep into her eyes and it didn't take Naomi long to melt. She gently pulled Jim into a hug, lightly laughing to herself in relief.

Jim held her close and turned to the others.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked, genuinely confused and concerned.

Bones shook his head, "We'll explain later, but right now we've got other problems."

As this Naomi moved her head to look towards them, her arms still wrapped around Jim, "Problems?"

"Nexus is here," Uhura spoke.

Naomi froze and this time completely pulled away from Jim. If Nexus was here then…. Of course. She always had an ace up her sleeve, no doubt her plan for Naomi was just a distraction.

"Where is she?" Naomi spoke with venom in her voice.

Scotty shook his head, "We don't know yet."

Her skin crawled at that. Nexus was still out there meaning she could hurt more people that she loved. Never again… she had to get to her.

Bleep, bleep.

They all frowned. Leonard reached for the communicator in his pocket, flicking it open with a frown.

"Doctor McCoy," came Chekov's voice. He sounded alert and a little startled.

"What is it kid?" McCoy asked with a frown.

"We've spotted Nexus, she's heading for the offices on the second floor," this time it was Sulu's voice.

"Alright we'll meet you there," McCoy answered snapping the communicator shut.

He looked to Uhura and Scotty who nodded, when they looked back to Jim they were startled.

Naomi Reed was nowhere in sight and the phaser she had dropped was missing.

Jim and McCoy exchanged glances, knowing exactly where she'd disappeared to.

"Shit," Jim mumbled under his breath before following after McCoy, Uhura and Scotty as they headed for the second floor. They all silently hoped they'd reach Nexus before Naomi did…

* * *

Ignoring the flashes of pain in her injured leg, Naomi took the steps two at time. She had to reach Nexus first. It was time to end this for good. Fuelled with determination and what Naomi had no doubt was rage, she propelled herself forward. She raced through the empty corridors, leading to various offices and small meeting rooms. If Nexus was here it meant she had a target. Who that target was she didn't know. But the explosion that Naomi was tasked with causing would no doubt be Nexus' distraction to get away with an assassination. Given her hatred for the Federation it could be anyone. An ambassador of some kind or…

Naomi jerked to a stop. Voices were coming from one of the offices to her left. Gripping her phaser tightly, she silently made to investigate. Creeping closer she peered through the window. She spotted Nexus instantly. Her back was to the door and her arm was raised. No doubt a weapon held in her hand. Stood in front of her…

Of course, if Nexus had to go for the next best thing. A Starfleet Admiral. And it had to be the only one Naomi had ever actually liked, Admiral Archer. Sure Scotty may have experimented with his dog, which left them on uneven ground. But every time Naomi had met the Admiral he had always been respectful, even before she gained her position of Lieutenant. She was so used to being scrutinised by Admirals since her arrival within Starfleet's radar. But Archer treated her with respect and little scrutiny. Something that surprised her, but instantly awarded him with her own respect.

Reaching out her free hand, Naomi slowly pushed open the door. She slipped inside and rose to her full height. Raising her phaser, she pointed it directly at Nexus' head.

"Drop it," she demanded.

Instantly Nexus turned to face her, but her weapon was still trained on Archer. He meet Naomi's gaze, instantly recognising her.

Nexus' face split into a grin, "Well what do we have here?"

"Drop it Nexus or I'll drop you," Naomi hissed, her teeth bared.

Nexus chuckled. Even here and now, she didn't seem to care. She still acted like she had the advantage…

But maybe she knew she didn't and simply didn't care. The others were coming and if Naomi didn't strike, they would. Yet she still wore that shit-eating grin. Naomi wanted so badly to wipe it off her face and stuff if down her throat, choking her to death with it.

However, she stood her ground. She had to keep that monster in check. But damn, she could easily blast Nexus directly through the heart and not feel a damn thing.

"Will you now? You… Naomi Reed?" Nexus laughed, her weapon still trained on Archer, "You already tried that once… and well... you failed miserable."

"Oh believe me I won't miss this time," Naomi hissed.

Nexus just smirked and mumbled, "Yet you missed this."

Before Naomi had chance to respond, Nexus fired towards her catching her hand. Yelling in pain, Naomi instantly dropped her phaser. But she refused to give Nexus an inch. Flipping the table in front of her with her foot, she kicked into towards Nexus. It caught her, causing her to fall down and drop her weapon.

"Sir, I've got this. Get out of here!" Naomi called to Archer as she gazed across at him.

"Lieutenant?" Archer questioned, unsure about leaving her alone.

"You're a target for her sir, now please leave this to me!" Naomi didn't give him chance as she began charging towards Nexus.

Archer blinked, torn about leaving Naomi alone with this woman. But he understood.

"Be careful Lieutenant, I'll be back," with that Archer swiftly left the room. Nexus rose trying to reach for her weapon, but Naomi tackled her back down. Sat above her, Naomi pinned her down with her body weight.

"I don't think so bitch!" she hissed.

Nexus just gave her a toothy smile, before forcing Naomi off. Naomi stumbled back, but managed to land on her feet. But Nexus didn't give her long to recover. Once on her feet, she crashed into Naomi forcing her back. Her back smashed into the wall behind her and Nexus aimed a right hook for her jaw. Smack! It collided, causing Naomi to gasp. But she retaliated quick, punching Nexus in the nose with all her strength. Nexus shrieked, stumbling back as blood pooled from her nose.

But it didn't slow her down. A flurry of punches and kicks ensued. Some punches collided with bodies, others missed. One punch left Naomi gasped from air, but it didn't slow her down. They each continued to attack, looking and attempting to make an opening.

Then…

Crack! Nexus boot twisted and kicked hard into Naomi's injured leg, causing an awful cracking sound that she was sure were her bones. Naomi screeched in pain, falling down in a heap of pain.

Nexus just laughed, not even backing off once Naomi was down. She continued to push down on Naomi's leg, causing her scream in agony. Nexus grin just grew and grew as she pushed down harder. Naomi's screams became louder and louder as she fought the pain.

Shit no. Naomi had to fight back. She had to.

But the pain… it tore through her. She felt like her leg was splitting in two. No doubt she would have trouble matching Nexus' strength, but she had to stop her.

Using her screams to fuel her, Naomi forced herself forward. Nexus was so preoccupied with causing Naomi pain that she hadn't spotted the phaser on the floor a short distance away. Continuing to scream for effect (and mainly cause her leg was still being crushed), Naomi moved her arm forward reaching out for it. She had to get that phaser. Her fingers were inches from it, when Nexus noticed.

Her eyes widened and she hissed, "I don't think so you worm!"

Naomi glared at her and fuelled herself with an almighty scream. Forcing up with her injured leg, she swiped Nexus' foot. Nexus lost her foot for just a second, but that was all Naomi needed. Forcing herself forward, Naomi snatched up the phaser, turning quickly to Nexus.

"I should have done this a long time ago," Naomi spoke coldly. With that all that was heard next was an onslaught of blasts. Whether they were all from Naomi's phaser and some were from Nexus', no one would ever know.

* * *

Silence. Some days Leonard would relish it and find a little peace. The quieter the Med Bay was, the less stressful his day would be. But this…

Damn he just wished she would talk. Naomi was perked before him, sat upright in a bio-bed. He tended to her cuts, bruises and scrapes, making sure they were all treated and cleaned up. Especially the nasty deep one on her forehead.

He then moved to her leg. Damn that Nexus had caused some additional damage. Even as he examined the extent of the damage and began the healing process, Naomi didn't say a word. All he could hear so often was her trying to conceal her winces. He didn't know what had happened in that room with Nexus. But when they had arrived, Naomi was perched beside a broken window and Nexus… Well she had been blasted out of it, her corpse littering the pavement below. They presumed that Naomi had been left with little choice. Given her plan, she wasn't someone to be trifled with and they had no doubt that may have been the only way to truly stop her. They didn't question a thing.

Luckily for Naomi, she was off the hook. Archer decided not to question Nexus, just labelling her as terror threat. He named Naomi as the one who had prevented the assassination attempt and thus saved his life. He labelled her as some kind of hero. But Naomi didn't feel like a hero.

The rest of the crew had briefed him on the events that had transpired. But given that Naomi had saved his life, he offered her a chance. Choosing not to disclose all the details of what had transpired, leaving the matter in Jim's hands to deal with.

Ever since they had brought Naomi and Rila back to the Enterprise for Leonard to patch up, Naomi hadn't uttered a word. No snide remarks, no hints of Rila's sarcasm. Just silence.

That was a bad sign. He knew what silence meant when it came to Jim Kirk and Naomi Reed. It meant they were upset, lost and hurting inside.

The silence was weirdly deafening. He knew it wouldn't stop her hurting but he spoke anyway.

"Reed?"

She looked up. Good at least he got her attention.

"It's not your fault kid," he said, giving a reassuring smile.

Naomi looked away, without uttering a reply. Instead she focused her gaze down.

Leonard sighed, she looked utterly broken. He didn't know what to say to make the pain stop. Maybe Rila and Jim would have better luck. Once he was satisfied that his work was done, he stood up.

He carried his heart on his chest as he looked at Naomi. Moving towards her, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Get some rest kid. We'll all still be here when you need us," with those words he softly squeezed Naomi's shoulder and placed a gently kiss on her head. He then turned and walked away leaving Naomi alone.

Naomi didn't even look up at him in surprise at his affection. Instead she continued to study her lap, remaining silent.

It wasn't until much later than Naomi dared to utter a word. Jim had tried his best to talk to her, get to speak, even eat. But she was having none of it. The woman before him was shut off and silent.

But when Rila arrived that all changed. She instantly noticed Naomi's state as she stepped towards her and Jim. Leonard had arrived moments before, trying to get her to eat something. Instead of threatening to force the food down her throat, he was being extremely gentle and kind.

Once Rila was beside Naomi, she instantly looked up without a second thought.

"Hi Reed," Rila smiled.

Instantly Naomi was gone. Seeing her friend before her, she was panged with relief and guilt. Guilt at the instrument around Rila's neck that was holding it straight and upright so it could heal properly. Relief that she was alive and here.

"Rila," she mumbled the first word to ever leave her mouth.

Rila settled herself before Naomi, refusing to leave her be.

Naomi's gaze drifted to the instrument, "Your neck…"

"Will heal, so don't worry. What about you?" Rila answered her with a question. She had a feeling she already knew that answer, but this was progress right?

Naomi looked down at her lap, "Does it matter?"

"Course it does kid. It'll always matter to us," Leonard spoke, giving her a small smile.

Naomi shook her head, "I told you didn't I… monsters don't get happy endings and they definitely don't deserve them…"

"Yeah they don't… but you're not one of them," Jim spoke softly.

Rila took Naomi's hand, forcing her to look her in the eye.

"Would a monster really share that money every month with those families?" Rila asked sincerely. Naomi blinked, how did she know? That money she always put aside… the truth was it was split and sent to the families of those who died in the Glass Tower incident. Naomi may have a hand in it, but she had been played by Nexus. But that's not how Naomi saw it. Their blood was on her hands and it was the only way she could bring herself to live with. That wasn't something a monster would do and deep down, Naomi knew that.

"How did you..?"

"Doesn't take a genius to work it out," Rila said.

Naomi blinked at Rila with watery eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she mumbled, "All of you… I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Rila spoke gently. This was what she needed, a release… an anchor. And it didn't always have to fall on Jim. They were each other's anchors, they supported each other. It's what a family did. Opening her arms out, Rila looked at Naomi.

She didn't need another invitation as she hugged her friend closely. Jim jumped in next, refusing to miss out. He gently wrapped his arms around the two women, hugging them both comfortingly.

Leonard watched them with amusement and compassion. He placed his hand gently on Naomi's shoulder, letting her know he was here too. She was their support as much as they were hers. Vulnerabilities didn't have to been hidden away, especially from those she loved. They would love her unconditionally and continue to support her. It was something they would always remind her of. She had a family. And they would always be her anchor.


	13. Three Months Away

_**A/N: A small Bones/Rila fluff piece, gonna get back into this proper especially since Star Trek Beyond has seriously inspired me! If you haven't seen it yet, please do! If any of my uploads contain spoilers for Beyond I'll be sure to warn you beforehand! (I know not everyone has had chance to see it yet...)**_

Three Months Away

Strides. Slow and gentle strides concealed every emotion running through her system. But Rila Kirza kept her composure professional and blank. Her strides took her through the remaining corridors of Starfleet HQ. She'd just handed in her three month mission report. Three months she'd been away; from her ship... her crew... her family... her Leonard. They'd spoken when they could but it didn't mean she hadn't missed him. And she had... she really had. She'd been counting down the last few days. That handsome doctor had been missing from her life for three months. She couldn't stand the thought of another second without him. Part of her just wanted to run through the corridors in childish excitement. Even one she was outside she'd still continue running until she collided into his arms.

But Rila was a professional. The last thing she really wanted was to make a fool of herself in front of the passers-by.

Her boots took each step one at a time. Propelling her down towards the main entrance foyer. Once she was there, she found herself stop and freeze.

All professionally dressed in his grey starfleet uniform, waiting for her, was Leonard McCoy. He didn't look like he'd slept much (probably out of pure excitement). And his face was holding an impressive amount of stubble.

He didn't notice her until she spoke.

"Leonard?" she almost questioned in disbelief.

Leonard turned instantly at the sound of her voice. A wide grin spread across his lips at the mere sight of her.

"Hi sweetheart," he spoke gently to her.

Rila's heart quickly melted and she was gone. Screw professionalism, this was her fucking boyfriend! And she was going to damn well tackle him with love and kisses!

Bringing all her excitement and joy to surface, Rila dashed towards him. Her arms were outstretched, ready for some serious cuddling.

But her 'love-tackle' didn't exactly go as she planned. She defiantly collided with Leonard, but not like how she planned. Instead she was suddenly stooped by what felt like a loving human wall. Whatever strength she had attempted to use did nothing. Leonard didn't move an inch. All she had succeeded in doing was body planting herself into him and knocking her hat clean off her head.

Her face turned beetroot as she muttered a small, "Damn it."

Leonard looked down at the woman he loved with amusement. "Not go how you planned huh?" he dared to ask.

Rila muttered in response, "Shut up."

Leonard chuckled, "I missed you."

With those word he swept her up into his arms, bringing her up to his height and keeping her body pressed firmly against him. Rila giggled a little in delight, before wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. She didn't care if anyone was watching now. This was the man she loved and she'll be damned if she had to wait any longer. Her head pressed closer to his as her lips inched towards his.

Leonard closed his eyes, prepared. Rila stopped, inches from his lips.

"Leonard?"

He opened his eyes.

"You tell James or Reed about this and I'll kill you."

Leonard smirked, "Your secret is safe with me."

"Good... and for the record, I missed you too."

Those were last words spoken for the time being, as their actions said the rest. Rila crashed her lips into his, descending into passion. He held her closer, refusing to let go and almost merging their bodies into one. His stubble tickled her upper lip, making he smile as her lips continued to smash into his. God she had missed this. She didn't want to break away. His lips were so soft yet so fierce. Her heart was bursting out her chest.

But she had to stop that passion (even for a moment) as her lungs screamed for oxygen. They broke, foreheads pressed together, both panting for breath. They didn't speak as they caught their breath, faces bright red.

Once Rila could form word again, she opened her eyes to look at the man before her.

"So where's the rest of the party?" she asked. No doubt in her mind that Naomi Reed would pull her into a bone crushing hug. Normally there might be some complaint, but right now she'd welcome it.

Leonard only smirked, "They'll see you tomorrow. I've got you all to myself today!"

"Oh!" Rila gasped then grinned, "Ohhh I like the sound of that!"

Leonard chuckled, still holding her close to him. "So shall we?" he nodded to the door.

Rila nodded, before quickly bringing up her legs. She wrapped them around his waist.

Leonard gave her an amused yet questioning.

"You started this!" she answered it with a grin.

He shook his head with a smile. He didn't let Rila's feet touch the ground as he carried her towards a day of romantic bliss.

Damn it had been too long!


	14. Arriving At Yorktown

_**A/N: Hey guys, it's been some time! So since seeing Beyond, it's started my muse again! The next few chapters or so are gonna be a little different. I thought I'd write some little filler snippets of what Reed and Kirza would be up to during the events of Beyond.**_

_**SO SPOILERS FOR BEYOND! THIS IS MY ONLY WARNING! THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! SO DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT ANYTHING SPOILED, EVEN IF IT MIGHT BE MINOR.**_

**Arriving at Yorktown **

Bang! Bang!

The thumping was hasty but gentle as Rila Kirza knocked on Naomi's door. That girl could sleep for hours sometimes. She frowned in annoyance, knocking once more as she called, "Reed!"

The interior of Naomi Reed's living space was concealed in shadow. The woman in question was lying in bed. Her head was hanging off to the side, snoring and drooling as she slept. Work papers littered her bed and the space around it. A datapad was still situated on her lap. Plastic coffee cups covered her floor. It appeared as if she'd pulled an all-nighter again. It wasn't the first time and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Knowing what would probably be waiting for her on the other side, she threw consideration to the wind. Punching in her medical overide (yes she had one and no she didn't care if Naomi didn't truly know about it), Rila Kirza dared to step inside.

The view of the sleeping Naomi before her didn't surprise her in the least. Really she never wanted to enter Reed's quarters unless she was invited or it was a dire emergency (like those few occasions she actually succeeded in setting her lab on fire).

A wicked thought crossed Rila's mind. They had added extra pre-cautions in here over her fiery mishaps.

EXTRA pre-cautions. She eyed Naomi up for a while, as the woman continued to snore.

"Reed!"

Nothing. Naomi Reed was still fast asleep.

"Ahh sod this!" Rila grumbled. Walking to the nearest right hand wall, with extra caution on avoiding the empty coffee cups (seriously this woman was a slob!). Opening a small panel, she looked at the small switches inside.

"Maybe you'll wake up to this," she smirked, flicking one of the switches. This switch was linked directly to one the many sprinklers that had been fitted for extra safety.

With a spiting sound, the sprinkler clicked directly above Naomi's bed. Naomi gasped in surprise at the sudden shower. She jumped so suddenly that she fell directly out of bed and flat onto her ass. Her head shook as she forced the soaking hair out of her face.

"What the fuck is this?" she swore loudly, still half awake but fully confused and freezing her ass off.!

Rila couldn't contain herself any longer as she roared into laughter. The sound met Naomi's wet ears as she instantly turned to Rila.

"You!" she pointed at her with fury in her gaze. Pulling herself to her feet, she began walking towards Rila. But her walk was stopped short as her foot slipped on some soggy papers, sending her crashing to the floor once more.

"Damn it!" Naomi cried as she hit the floor.

"Really wish I was recording this," Rila chuckled, watching her friend with amusement. The inventor pushed herself up and strode out of fire of the sprinkler. She didn't look best pleased. But she never really did before her morning coffee and food.

"Rila, what the hell is the big idea!" Naomi yelled angrily, trying to her best to look menacing. But she was soaked bundle of a t-shirt and sweatpants, so not so much.

"Well we've docked in Yorktown, everyone's starting their departures. And you were asleep," Rila informed.

"So you thought you'd just turn on the sprinkler? There's other ways to wake people you know!"

"I know, but this was much more hilarious," Rila replied with a smile. She bent down picking up what seemed like relatively clean clothes off Naomi's floor.

"Get dressed, we're already late," she tossed the clothes to Naomi. She caught them with a scowl.

Satisfied, Rila turned and left with a shit eating grin. Naomi watched after her and sighed looking down at the dry clothes in her hand. She wasn't going to hear the end of this today, she could just sense it...

Naomi Reed pushed her wet hair behind her ear, ignoring the annoyance it gave her. Her once scowl filled features couldn't help but change a little as she gazed around at the layout of Yorktown above her. It's genius structure had her in awe, even if it was just for a moment. She had to admit, it was nice to not be cooped up on the Enterprise and have a change of pace (even if she did love that ship to pieces). Maybe she might get to explore this place, at least to some degree. That thought thrilled her a little (hey she still hadn't had her morning coffee yet).

"Going for a new look?"

Naomi Reed visibly jumped at the sudden voice behind her. Turning around she came face to face with Leonard McCoy, who had an amused look on his face.

"What?" Naomi asked, dumbfounded.

Leonard nodded at her hair with a smirk, "Late start?"

Naomi instantly dropped her face into a small scowl at the comment, "Why don't you ask your girlfriend!"

With that she turned on her heel and marched. She needed coffee, and she needed it now! (Especially if she was gonna put up with this all day).

Leonard watched after her baffled, before he felt a small tap on his shoulder.

He wasn't surprised as he turned to his left and Rila Kirza was situated right beside him.

"What's up with you and Reed?" he asked, curiosity taking over.

Rila just shrugged with a cheeky smirk, "Nothing, other than she didn't appreciate her wake up call."

Leonard paused for a moment... then it clicked.

"You didn't?"

"I did."

"My god man, are you an infant?"

"I managed to get footage of it."

"Alright, now I need to see that!"

Rila could only laugh in response, as Leonard looped an arm over her shoulder.

"Hey, I bumped into Spock and Uhura on the way in," Leonard started as the two of them disappeared into the depths of Yorktown. They remained deep in conversation, with smirks still present on their faces at the thought of Naomi Reed's wake-up call...


	15. Happy Birthday You Cornfed Bastard!

_**A/N: Another one-shot set during Beyond. This one is an interpretation of the very end scene of the film! Again there will be spoilers for Star Trek Beyond, so please beware from this point forward. I hope you guys enjoy and please let me know what you think x**_

**Happy Birthday You Cornfed Bastard!**

"Everyone raise a glass to Captain James T Kirk."

"To James T Kirk," everyone chimed in response to Leonard McCoy's toast. Naomi Reed couldn't help but beam happily at Jim Kirk. Sure his birthday brought about sad reminders, but it should also be a day he is surrounded by family and given a reason to smile.

Jim smiled, taken a back a little by the affection from his crew but thankful none the less.

"Thank you," Jim addressed the crew, before raising his own glass. "To the Enterprise... and to absent friends."

Everyone nodded soberly as they raised their glasses in unison. Everyone then broke apart as Scotty insisting on getting another round from the bar.

Naomi Reed patted a hand on her android, Artemis' shoulder (who was following after Scotty to help with the drinks orders). Artemis gave her a small nod before Naomi headed over to the man of the hour himself.

"Hey Jim," she said as she stopped in front of him. A soft smile sat on her lips as she gazed up at him.

"Hey yourself," Jim replied with a smile of his own.

They fell into silence from a moment, just gazing at each other.

"Erm..." Naomi mumbled, before she took a brave step. She leaned forward, planting a gentle kiss on Jim's cheek. She moved away quickly, as deep blush on her cheeks, "Happy Birthday Jim."

Jim blinked at her in surprise, his ears turning red.

"Err- thanks Naomi," he nodded raising his glass. Naomi clinked hers against his, before the two of them took a deep drink,a small awkwardness but appreciation for each other growing between them.

They both turned as their bubble was broken.

"So what are you crazy kids up to?" Leonard McCoy cried out slapping Jim gently on the shoulder.

"Just enjoying the company of friends," Naomi nodded in reply, trying to calm her previous blush. Leonard eyed her suspiciously before breaking out into a small smile, "So seems things are going well between Spock and Uhura..."

Jim and Naomi perked up at that and turned to Leonard in curiosity.

"So... does she know about... you know?" Naomi asked, referring back to the 'tracking device' necklace with a small gesture.

"Not a damn thing," Leonard replied, taking a small sip from his drink.

"Probably best she never knows about that," Jim added.

"Uhuh," Naomi and Leonard agreed in unison, raising their glasses.

A mischievous look past across Naomi's face as a thought crossed her face, "Although I guess it could be perfect blackmail."

Jim nearly choked on his drink as he looked at Naomi in slight surprise. Leonard couldn't help but burst out laughing, "I think you're finally speaking my language, kid."

Naomi eyed Leonard with a smirk, "Really? And here was me thinking you two were finally making progress."

Leonard gave a small scowl as Jim and Naomi laughed at his expense. "Don't worry Bones, I know some good couple's counsellors that will sort you both out," Jim slapped his friend on the shoulder.

"Speaking from experience?" Leonard pried.

"Touché," Jim replied with a chuckle.

The three of them laughed as they sipped at their drinks and settled back. Their eyes drifted across the crew as they were all descended into deep conversation, plenty of drinks and laughter. It was good after everything that they had all made it out together.

"It might not be such a bad thing anyway," Leonard mused.

Jim and Naomi turned to look at him.

"Aww you gonna get a nice tracking device necklace for Jim?" Naomi teased, patting Jim gently on the face. Jim just pouted at her like a child.

"Well that wasn't my original thought, but you've got a point there..." Leonard trailed off.

Jim Kirk's finger raised sharply in warning, "I don't think so."

Leonard smirked, "Alright princess, I won't get you any fancy tracking jewellery."

Naomi giggled at that, eyeing the two of them amused as Jim shot him a unimpressed look.

"Hmm... well at least I wouldn't really need anything like that for Rila. I always know where she is..." Leonard paused for a moment, "Although-"

"No Bones, you can't give her a tracking device as a proposal," Naomi cut him off.

Once more Jim Kirk nearly choked on his drink, but this time Leonard was also caught off guard.

"I wasn't- that's not what I meant-" Leonard tried to gather his words, but only managed a mess of a sentence.

"Did someone mention a proposal?"

The three of them turned in unison to spot the one and only Rila Kirza. Falling into a brief silence, which was quickly broken.

"Oh yeah Rila, we were just-"

Naomi's mouth was quickly slapped shut by Leonard's hand as he placed an arm over her shoulder, and laughed.

"We were just talking about this two idiots," he lied, nudging his head in Naomi and Jim's direction.

"Wait..." Jim trailed off, looking at Leonard in alarm.

Leonard didn't even give them chance as he began leading Naomi away, "Come on Reed, let's get in another round."

Naomi was reluctantly led away as she grumbled a muffled, "Hand off or I bite."

Rila turned to Jim with a questioning look, "So thinking of proposing are we, James?"

"Woah Rila, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Jim replied, laughing nervously as he blushed a little.

She nodded, "Of course, you at least want to date her first."

Jim spat out some of his drink, "That's not what I meant by that!"

"Sure James..." Rila didn't believe him in the slightest.

"I mean I care about her and she's a great woman. And sure anyone who dated her who be extremely fortunate... not saying that I want to! I mean she's great and all but..." Jim Kirk stumbled over his words in explanation. All it did was confirm Rila's suspicions as his face got increasingly more red.

"You keep telling yourself that James," Rila nodded knowingly as she sipped at her drink.

Jim Kirk fell back into silence, smartly deciding to not dig his hole any deeper. He took a sip from his drink and looked over noticing Scotty heading over to Jaylah. Looks like he was about to break the good news. He couldn't miss this.

"Excuse me," he tapped Rila on the shoulder, before heading over to them.

Rila watched after him with a smile. She heard about Jim pulling some strings to get Jaylah into Starfleet Academy. Maybe one day she would be serving on the same ship as them.

"Hey," Naomi spoke as she rejoined the doctor.

Rila turned to her with a frown, "Just you?"

"Yeah, Bones got chatting with Ben and Sulu at the bar. Apparently Demora's taking more of interest in Starfleet, she wants to serve on a Starship like her dad," Naomi spoke with soft smile, Demora was the sweetest little thing. And as Sulu put it, she had a lot of aunts and uncles that care a hell a lot about her.

"That so?" Rila asked with a raised eyebrow. She may not have a damn clue when it came to kids, but even she loved the company of little Demora.

"She sure does. Although no idea what she wants to go into, she's fascinated by everything at the minute," Naomi replied.

"No surprise there. Well she's still young, she's got time."

"She sure has," Naomi smiled. She was glad, especially for someone so young to be getting a relatively normal childhood. Even on a happy occasion such as this she couldn't help but think of the many children who didn't get that chance back on her homeworld... Terra Nova.

"Earth to Reed," Rila's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Don't be going all sorrowful on me, we are supposed to be celebrating."

"How did you?"

"You always have that look on your face, that melancholy longing," Rila explained giving her friend a soft glance.

"You're right sorry," Naomi said, nodding at her friend.

"It's alright Reed. I understand," Rila said, uncharacteristically leaning her shoulder against her friend. Naomi was a little taken-a-back for a moment, but thinking about what they had been through these past few days she understood. Despite this happy occasion they had lost crew out there, and they could have very nearly lost each other. Yorktown could have been destroyed. Everyone here was very lucky to be alive. But if they hadn't stopped Krall...

Naomi dropped her head, leaning it on Rila's shoulder. The doctor didn't complain in the slightest, internally glad to have her friend by her side. They looked over to their fellow crew, who were all gazing up at the building process of the Enterprise (which would soon become their home once more). Rila looped her arm through Naomi's as the two headed over to join them. Whatever was waiting for them out there, they would face it together.

Together as a family.


End file.
